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peculiarinsomniac · 9 hours ago

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My heart is going to explode. That is so beautifully written and so freaking adorable, I cannot stop smiling. The lengths Shinichiro would go for y/n because he likes her is so heartwarming and touching, especially when you consider the fact that fighting an addiction is no easy feat. It is so freaking sweet and hilarious because they are so into each other and they don't realise that the feeling is mutual until the end. Thank you so much for writing this marvelous fanfiction 💕

Title: Habits

Pairing: Shinichiro x reader

Summary: You ask your crush and childhood friend, Shin, to quit smoking for a month to some interesting results. | Genre: Fluff | Warning: none | Words: 2.8K

‘SHIN! SERIOUSLY?!’ you snapped at your childhood friend while covering your nose with one hand and frantically waving away the smoke from his cigarette that got close to your face with the other.

The dark-haired man glance back at you and grimaced with the cigarette between his lips, ‘Sorry.’

He leisurely took it out of his mouth and put it out against the back of his shoe while you tried to find a bit of air that wasn’t compromised by the disgusting smell, ‘You really need to stop.’

‘It’s just a bit of smoke,’ he said looking his typical relaxed and amused self.

‘It kills!’ you shot back heated since it wasn’t the first time, you two had this discussion about Shin’s less-than-safe habit.

He grinned, ‘You say that like you care.’

If he wasn’t smiling in his typical boylike charming way, those words would sound horribly accusatory, and even if you knew he was just teasing you couldn’t help but soften upon hearing them, ‘Shin, I mean it. It’s not good for you. I don’t want you to…die young.’

His relaxed look cracked a tiny bit.

He knew you cared.

You knew one another since before kindergarten. You were always in each other’s life one way or another. Even when life drifted you apart, you still remained friendly before you re-established your old friendship for good a couple of years ago.

He offered you a delicate look, and you knew he was thinking about all those things you told him about how you lost people from your life. One way or another.

‘I’ll be fine. I don’t smoke around the little ones,’ he tried to brush it off again. True, he was decent enough not to smoke around Emma, Mikey, or even Izana and made sure his smoker friends like Takeomi did the same, but you still hated that he smoked all the same even more so when he said, ‘I’m not hurting anyone else-’

‘Hurting yourself is more than enough, idiot,’ you mumbled now feeling annoyed over having the same argument over and over again.

You started to walk ignoring the young man.

It took Shin a while as he was probably thinking about what you said before he caught up to you and put his arm around your shoulders startling you a bit.

Your heart started to pound like crazy feeling the warmth radiating from his body against your own even through the layers of clothing. You could only hope your traitorous cheeks weren’t red enough for him to notice again. You barely made it out of the last situation similar to this by lying you had a fever.

Shin grinned at you, ‘Stopping seems like such a hassle.’

‘Have you at least tried it?’ you asked hoping being annoyed with him would busy your body from reacting in such a way to him. Even if the smell of cigarettes twisted your stomach enough to make you throw up, your heart was like Shin’s presence.

The real hassle was having a crush on your childhood friend, you thought knowing that those words could never leave your lips. You figured if he liked you, he would have said something by now, or at least initiate something. He might have been unlucky with girls in the past, but the young man was really straightforward about such things shamelessly commenting other women on the street even if you were around. Not that he would know he was making you jealous because you would never confess and risk your friendship becoming awkward.

‘Not really. I was once really low on money, but even then, I managed to get some from beating up these punks,’ he said looking awfully proud, and you pulled at his cheek rather harshly causing him to yelp.

‘Yeah, and I ended up nursing your stupid wounds, and using all my cute band-aids on your sorry ass.’

He got your hand away from his face and stepped away from you to brush his wounded cheek, ‘True, but at least it looked like I had a cute girlfriend. For a moment, I was the real King.’

‘Idiot,’ you mumbled again brushing your arm feeling disappointed over the lack of his warmth, ‘If you never really tried to quit, why not give it a go now? You would be surprised how much money you would save.’

You started to walk again. At this ridiculous rate, you would never make it to Wakasa’s gym before dark.

‘Maybe,’ he said before he chuckled, ‘Maybe not, I spend quite a lot on you, don’t I?’

Your cheeks flushed, and you managed to look away embarrassed at the last second before he was by your side no doubt grinning like a lovable idiot.

‘It’s not my fault. I’m a poor uni student,’ you used a weak excuse. It was true, Shin made it a point to take you out for dinner or lunch whenever he had the time always paying before you even had a chance to pull out your wallet. It was big and little things like these that caused your pathetic heart to beat like crazy and your face to turn into a tomato because of the former delinquent.

‘I don’t mind,’ he said, and it sounded so sincere, you couldn’t help, but look at him if only to catch that sweet look in his dark eyes.

The guy couldn’t score a date to save his life and yet here he was practically charming the pants off you.

You cleared your throat, ‘B-but to the main topic. You should try it. At least to see if you would be able to go without it for a month.’

‘For a month? Be realistic,’ he grunted a bit and put his arms behind his head like he was a kid again causing you to smile almost remembering the two of you walking home from school before you went to middle school. Those were simpler times when you considered all boys stupid. You still did, but it didn’t change the fact that you wouldn’t mind if this stupid one was yours.

‘It’s not that long,’ you said and crossed your arms.

‘A week maybe.’

‘A month.’

‘Two weeks.’

‘A month!’

‘What will I get if I manage?’

You frowned and looked back at him confused, ‘A better-improved health? More money? Not smelling like an ashtray?’ you asked listing the obvious. He had to know it was a horrible habit, right? ‘It’s really hard to be close to you when you talk. Your mouth smells so gross even now,’ you waved your palm in front of your nose as if to prove your point. It was bad. At times when Shin was his absolute best and sweetest causing you to die out of a cardiac arrest or crawl into his lap and kiss him just once because of what a beautiful human being he was, that gross smell always pulled you back to the reality.

He glanced at you for a moment, and you almost felt bad for saying it like that, but it was true, perhaps, one of the few reasons, apart from being sane, that you didn’t try to do something reckless about your crush was because the smell was just too awful to bear.

The look on his face was unreadable for a moment, and you could tell he was thinking, ‘Alright, what will you give me if I manage to go smoke-free for a month.’

Your eyes widened, and you felt your throat go dry, ‘W-what? What the hell do you mean what will I give you?’

He grinned stepping far closer to you than before causing you to catch wind of the disgusting cigarette smoke, ‘What will you give me if I manage not to smoke for a month?’

You felt so embarrassed, but at the same time, you couldn’t help but grin back at him when he was looking at you like this. No matter how silly you felt about your little crush, Shin always made it impossible to not want to be around him, ‘You’re horrible.’

‘Come on,’ he laughed, and you took a step back taking the lead again, ‘Anything you want,’ you said without thinking, ‘Now, let’s go! Wakasa will kill us if we keep him waiting again.’

‘Anything I want, hm? Sounds promising,’ he tossed it out there as casually as he did everything else causing a shiver to run through your body. You hoped he was just teasing you the way he always did. You were certain, you wouldn’t be able to survive if he was being serious.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You were definitely impressed to see Shin work his hardest to quit smoking. He seemed more stressed at times, obviously craving it, but he didn’t lose his personality completely acting his usual self toward you. It was both a blessing and curse for your weak heart though.

You noticed Shin spent more time chewing gum or eating sweets probably to keep his mouth busy as well as working odd hours in the bike shop no doubt to take his mind off his habit. But in general, it was going rather well for him. So well, that when he stepped closer to you while taking you out for lunch about two weeks in, you found yourself flushed because of how good he smelled up close without the always lingering cigarette smoke mixed with his body scent.

‘What?’ he asked confused by your sudden stiffness, and you couldn’t think of any decent lie, so you decided to go with the partly truth, ‘Nothing, you just don’t smell like an ashtray anymore. It’s…different.’

He grinned and pulled you even closer against his chest making you sweat.

If he ever found out how much more attractive I thought he was now, he would never let me live it down.

It was frustrating. Even if you would never go back on your words because you genuinely wanted Shin to stop and not threaten his health like that, you still feared you would act recklessly if he kept up. There was only so much a young woman like you could endure when crushing on her childhood friend.

Once the actual month mark passed, Shin called you over to the shop to take you out for dinner like he usually did if he wasn’t eating with his family, ‘So how do I smell?’

You felt nervous walking closer to him even if he was only wearing his work clothes since currently it seemed no matter what he wore or set it had the same lovesick effect on you.

You still grinned though, ‘Like motor oil and sweat.’

‘Rude, but fair,’ he admitted, ‘I’ll shower real quick, so you don’t have to be embarrassed by me.’

‘I’m not,’ you mumbled and went to sit down until he returned.

‘I passed my one month,’ he said with a shit-eating smirk across his face, and you couldn’t help but roll your eyes, ‘Yes, yes, so what I’m paying for dinner?’

‘Nah,’ he assured you and walked you out before he locked the shop.

You bit your lip. You knew how much it cost him to stick to his word and quit. It wasn’t easy to stop when he was addicted as he was even if he remained his relaxed easy-going self most of the time.

‘Shin,’ you said and waited for him to look at you.

His dark eyes were calm and pretty that evening making it both a treat to look at them and extremely hard at the same time, ‘You did a really good job. I’m proud of you, alright? I know it wasn’t easy. You…you always find a way to impress me, and it means a lot to you…did this when I asked you to.’ All of it was true. You could count the number of times people did something this big for you because you needed it or asked them to on the fingers of your right hand. And most of those things were achieved by Shin anyway.

He always delivered on his words.

He watched you for a moment before his lips curved into a happy smile and his eyes softened making your knees go weak, ‘Thanks. I’m glad I managed. I could tell it bothered you quite a lot.’

You nodded, ‘It did. I would hate for you to get sick and the smell…well, I told you it was really awful.’

He stepped closer to you almost to the point that your chests were touching, ‘It’s much better now, huh?’

You felt your cheeks warming up again, ‘Uh-huh.’

His bright smile faded a bit, but only because it became somewhat softer, ‘Even my mouth?’

Involuntarily the innocent question caused your eyes to move to his lips. That was a bad decision because it immediately jumpstarted your heart and caused chaos inside your mind.

We’re really close, huh?

‘Well… sure?’ you said unsure about what was the question anymore all too focused on the shape and color of his mouth. You couldn’t help but think he had really pretty lips.

‘Here, have a taste,’ he said and suddenly you felt his warm palm against the back of your head pulling you closer.

Your eyes widened, and your palms pressed against his chest unclear whether you were planning to stop him or just have a place for them to settle.

Right before your lips would touch, you blurted out, ‘Shin?’

Everything stopped, but not in a good way, as the dark-haired man stepped away and hid his face away from your gaze, ‘Shit, sorry, I…I’m sorry. I thought it would be cool.’

You blinked surprised, as he started to scratch the back of his head, ‘Never mind, forget I did that. I’m…sorry.’

You snatched his hand and brought it away from his hair, ‘It was cool.’

Your eyes met, and your face caught on fire all over again, ‘Well…it was pretty cool, uh, but why?’

‘I like you,’ he blurted out obviously shocked he had as he tried to look away again.

The most beautiful flower started to bloom inside your belly, ‘You do?’

He nodded still not meeting your eyes, ‘You always looked so disgusted and annoyed because of the smoke, but when I stopped, you seemed more willing to have me close. I figured I would give it a shot. Pretty stupid, huh?’ he tried to pull his hand out of your hold, but you didn’t let him.

He finally glanced at you, and you tried to hold his gaze as best as you could, ‘Not as stupid as being into you even when you smelled like an ashtray.’

His dark eyes widened in surprise and immediately the familiar smile appeared across his face, ‘Really?’

You grinned less embarrassed than you thought you would be knowing he felt the same. The ridiculous wave of happiness washing over you, ‘Yes, I like you too, Shinichiro.’

He suddenly took his hand from your hold and cupped your face with both of his hands, ‘Then let me be cool just for once.’

‘I always think you’re cool,’ you confessed feeling too wired in the heat of the moment to deny it.

He smiled at you adoringly while still holding your face, ‘Really?’

You groaned at his eagerness and how silly it must have all made you look, ‘You’re embarrassing me.’

He grinned, ‘Good, I like it when your face is all red.’

‘Hey-’ before you could finish his lips were on yours. His mouth was soft and warm to the touch. Although you wouldn’t have expected it from someone who acts so relaxed and carefree most of the time, Shin’s lips were demanding forcing your mouth to yield to his and parting to take him deeper. Once you let him his tongue ever so slightly moved across your in an electrifying slide.

Daydreaming about your crush as often as you have, you knew you would like it regardless of if Shin was a good kisser or not but given the sensation, he sparked inside your belly that reached all the way up to the roots of your hair and fingers of your toes.

By the time, he finally broke the kiss earning himself a breathless moan that escaped your throat, you found your hands had once again found a place on his chest lightly touching him.

You blinked several times trying to catch up to what just happened while Shin offered you a grin. Instantly, you smiled back at him feeling far too happy for your own good.

His palms let go of your face in order to take hold of your waist barely touching them, but still causing you to shiver.

‘Say, what will you give me for another month without smoking?’

‘Idiot,’ you mumbled but continued to smile feeling far too pleased at that moment, ‘How about you wait and find out?’

His dark eyes and bright smile revealed his amusement and happiness before he once again pressed his lips against yours.

Koniec A.N: Thank you for reading 😊 Have a nice day 😊

#tokyo revengers fluff #tokyo revengers x reader #tokyo rev x reader #tokyo revengers x y/n #tokyo revengers x you #tokyo rev fluff #reader fanfiction #sano shinichiro fluff #sano shinichiro x reader #shinichiro x you #shinichiro sano fluff #shinichiro sano x reader #shinichiro x reader #shinichiro sano x you #shinichiro x y/n #shinichiro sano x y/n #sano shinichiro x y/n #sano shinichiro x you

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peculiarinsomniac · 13 hours ago

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My heart is melting. It is so beautifully written and so comforting, I cannot stop grinning. I didn't even notice that English is not your first language, it was just so very well written.♡ I totally understand the insecurities of the reader and they are so relatable which makes the oneshot even more comforting and sweet ♡. And of course, Manjiro is so freaking adorable and reassures y/n that he definetely pays attention to them. Thank you so much for writing this heartwarming oneshot 💕 I don't find many wholesome mikey x reader fanfiction which makes this one even more precious.

Title: Your Attention

Pairing: Manjiro x Reader

Summary: You often feel overlooked compared to your best friend, Emma. Little do you know there's someone who does notice you quite a lot. | Genre: Fluff | Warning: none| Words: 5.4K

‘Hey, Y/L/N-san.’

You were in the process of packing your things into your school bag. The classes were finally over, and you couldn’t wait to ditch the stuffy classroom once and for all and dive into a nice peaceful weekend.

You didn’t recognize the boy in front of you, but unfortunately, you knew what he wanted even before he started to talk.

‘You’re friends with Sano-san, right?’ he asked smiling with a glow of confidence in his eyes probably thinking he came up with a pretty decent plan when he chose to approach you.

Sadly, for him, this wasn’t unusual. Despite her unfortunate reputation and the scary rumors that circled around her persona. Your best friend, Sano Emma, was a cute and attractive-looking girl who often caught the attention of boys around your schools and guys passing on the streets. Whether on purpose or not being subtle enough, it was very easy to overhear or notice some of the peaking or openly staring at her. At times you compare them to animals in the zoo watching their caretakers bring them their scheduled food. Sometimes, they were merely excited or happy. Other times, they were drooling and looking like they would run to snatch it before they were ever even allowed to.

‘Yes, what about it?’ you asked. If you were a snarkier person, you would probably tell him flat out to back off because it was pointless to even try anything on Emma, but being yourself, conflict was usually your last resort. If it didn’t happen so often it started to really annoy you, you would even appreciate those guys for having the guts to try something on their crush in the first place.

‘Say, do you know if she’s seeing someone?’

Mentally, you took a deep breath and sighed, but, on the outside, you merely politely said, ‘No, but she likes someone else.’

You thought that was all that needed to be said and returned to packing your stuff. You really wanted to go already. Emma had to head to the teacher’s office to discuss her dropping grades.

She’ll probably ask me to help her study later, you thought to yourself.

Personally, if you approached someone because you were crushing on their friend and found out they liked someone else, you would thank them and never mention it ever again, but apparently, this guy was wired differently.

‘Huh, really?’

You shot your back and turned to leave but the boy sort of cut into your path, ‘Do you think I could take him? What’s he like?’

Take him? You wondered mentally. As in a fight?!

You imagined this guy going against 185 cm tall Ryuguji Ken.

You imagined this guy going against Toman’s vice president, Draken.

You imagined this guy going against the boy you once saw taking down ten Toman members with three punches without breaking a sweat because they were being disrespectful.

You chuckled. It was rude. You would be the first to admit, it was really rude, but you just couldn’t help it because imagining anyone let alone this guy going against Draken was seriously funny.

‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ he asked. Obviously, he didn’t appreciate your reaction, and honestly, you didn’t blame him for that.

You cleared your throat, ‘Sorry. Uh,’ despite knowing a great deal about Emma’s brother’s not-so-little gang, Toman, you were around when it was founded and all, you still didn’t feel too comfortable to talk about it so openly with strangers. In school, nevertheless.

‘Her crush is friends with her brother,’ you said purposely underlining friends and brother, so he and anyone with a good pair of eyes and brain would understand. Everyone and their mother knew that Sano Manjiro was in a gang. Skipping school only to ride a bike wearing his black gang jacket was a dead giveaway. Seeing other members around the city getting into fights, vandalism and other forms of delinquency would convince anyone.

-or so you thought.

‘So? What? It’s not like she has to date her brother’s friends, is it? If so, who is he? I can be his friend or whatever,’ he said, and you openly stared at him like he was insane. You couldn’t help but wonder. If he didn’t even know Emma’s brother, Mikey, was the leader of Toman, what did he even know about her? Or was it really only because of her looks?

You sighed out loud now. You were already in a faulty mood looking forward to leaving the school premises only for this guy to constantly stall you. You were trying to be polite. Really, you weren’t a mean person. It wasn’t your style to flat-out be rude to someone upon meeting them. And you did your absolute best to make it quick with this boy but apparently, he wasn’t the sharpest pencil in the toolbox to figure it out.

‘Look, Emma likes someone else, and her brother isn’t someone to mess with. Trust me, if you don’t want problems just let it go, alright?’ Maybe you should have worded it better or maybe you should have told him to just go ask Emma herself if he wanted to so much. If you really thought about it, was this even your problem to begin with?

The boy frowned, ‘Seriously? Why would you say that? What’s wrong with you?’

Your eyes widened while you stood there puzzled wondering what the heck was this guy talking about. You were perfectly clear. Did he seriously want you to spell it out for him that her brother would crack his skull with a single kick and tell his gang to harass him until his dying days?

‘You know jealousy only makes you look uglier,’ he said and turned around stomping away pretty much like a child that apparently, he was.

You were left standing at your spot motionless for a few moments trying to get over the shock of the situation before you breathed out, ‘Whoa.’

It wasn’t like the words didn’t hurt.

They did.

A lot.

So much.

What an asshole!

But you always did your very best not to cry in school or because of some jerk who you didn’t even know.

After three deep breaths just to make sure you wouldn’t start sobbing, you started to walk out of the classroom. You knew that guy was just an upset jerk which was why he was lashing out like that, but it still stung a little. No one wanted to be called ugly or accused of being jealous of their friend. What should you be jealous of anyway? A guy like that coming to you trying to win you over only to be an ass to your friends? No, thank you!

You walked down the stairs only to find Emma waiting for you with a sour look on her face, ‘I need to get my grades up or they’ll tell gramps about it.’

You figured as much and patted her shoulder, ‘I’ll help you study tomorrow.’

‘Really?’ she beamed looking brighter than a Christmas tree on Christmas Eve, ‘Yup, let’s go.’

On the walk home, you only partly listened to Emma’s ramble about how unfair the teacher was. Untrue, but you didn’t have the energy to argue with her. Not to mention, your mind kept on drifting to the boy from the classroom.

Uglier

Uglier~

Uglieeeeer~

‘You’re the ugly one, you ass,’ you mumbled to yourself quietly.

‘Hm?’

‘Nothing,’ you quickly dismissed her interest and glanced around. It was Friday with many people on their way home from work or on a break before they had to return to their offices. Some didn’t even spare you two a single look, but others were openly staring at Emma.

It happened a lot. You weren’t certain when it started, but one day you noticed she was getting a lot of attention from men and boys passing by. Some were flat-out creepy while others looked rather cute. Some tried to strike up a conversation, but Emma was usually too much in her own world to notice or too into Draken to care.

‘Hey, do you want to go join me for karaoke? We’re missing a girl.’

‘I’m with my friend. Bye.’

‘Pretty girl, would you like to go to dinner.’

‘Beat it, old man!’

‘You’re so cute. Want me to buy you something sweet in that coffee house?’

She didn’t even acknowledge the existence of that last boy. Being her best friend came with the privilege of knowing she already had her heart set on someone else.

Honestly, from creeps who tried to follow her and you on the streets to boys who thought they were cute when they couldn’t even shutter out their names, you came to the conclusion that there was really nothing to envy your friend and often offered her your sympathy or changed the subject to ease her annoyance.

Jealousy

It wasn't like it was true. Why would you be jealous of the attention Emma got?

Maybe.

Sometimes.

A little.

You glanced at her hair, ever so perfectly blowing in the wind as you walked. It wasn't like she asked for all that attention. To be frank, most of the time she didn't even notice, or she found it annoying. Besides her were eyes set on Draken for as long as you knew her.

Still, yeah, maybe sometimes you were a little jealous of that attention. If only because compared to her you felt so damn invisible, you might as well not be there at all when those guys approached her. It was rude really. You didn’t want them to hit on you or anything, but straight out being pushed aside so they could get close to Emma without them so much as looking at you if you didn’t end up in traffic thanks to them seemed rude.

You would surely hate it if you were in Emma’s shoes, but you couldn’t say it was all that better to be in your own. Constantly being overlooked and ignored really sucked too.

Passing nearby windshields you caught your reflection. Maybe you should do something about the way you look. Nothing too radical just something to make you stand out a bit? Look cuter?

‘I can’t believe sensei’s being so unfair-’

‘Do you think I should change my hairstyle or do something about makeup?’ (A.N: adding or changing depending on you).

Your eyes moved to your school uniform. It couldn’t be helped on the weekday but maybe during the weekend and after school? ‘Maybe I could do something about my clothing,’ you said to yourself, ‘Maybe I would catch someone’s attention better that way-’

‘But you’re perfect!’ cut in Emma before you could think about that guy from class and pray not to catch the attention of someone like him.

You smiled at your friend, Yeah, yeah.’

‘No really!’ Assured you Emma and taking her best friend’s responsibilities seriously like they were life or death began to praise everything from your hair to your face and body gaining unwanted attention from people passing by. Definitely, not what you meant.

A little bit self-conscious and embarrassed, you tried to calm her down when you and she heard the familiar sounds of two bikes approaching. It wasn’t like you were an expert, but being around Toman so often, CB250T’s roar was definitely imprinted into your brain forever. You were pretty decent in recognizing all the captain’s bikes, even if you didn’t always guess the right one, but their leader’s bike you managed to get right every time. Not something you needed to brag about, but you still took pride in it.

You turned around and waved just as Emma raised her hand and called for her brother only to discover he was followed by Draken too. It wasn’t all that unusual, but your friend still snatched your arm looking at you like it was a one-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

‘Follow my lead, Y/N!’

Emma greeted her brother and crush, while you waited beside her hoping whatever she had planned wouldn’t backfire too much. You were always there to pick up the pieces after all. Sure, Draken would never deliberately hurt Emma, but he was known to be harsh and speak his truth not realizing Emma was trying to flirt with him or get him to go on a date with her.

‘Hey, do you guys think Y/N should change something about herself?’ she asked suddenly cutting through your thoughts. You froze on the spot before shooting her a wide-eyed look. No way! Stop! You thought desperately as you listened to her make out some half-baked story about how you wanted to appear more interesting to someone.

Falling into traffic doesn’t sound so bad right about now, you thought to yourself and put a hand over your friends. You knew both Mikey and Draken were asking themselves why the hell was Emma asking them about this.

‘Men don’t care about that stuff,’ said Draken, and you uncovered your face only to ask, ‘Can we talk about something else please?’

‘Mitsuya-kun does,’ cut in Mikey, and you were tempted to die on the spot. The two started to discuss the captain of the Second Division and his keen eye for fashion before Draken admitted, That might work. So, if you want, go ask him.’

You couldn’t bear to look either of them in the eye for a moment.

‘Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind,’ you said and mentally sent Emma a message never to do that to you again. The message must not have reached her though because, in the next moment, she rushed to Draken’s side and said, ‘Hey, can you guys give us a ride? Y/N twisted her ankle in the gym and it’s really far from her house.’

Seriously?! You thought looking at Emma and it had to show, but when they all looked at you, you sighed and without any emotion whatsoever said, ‘Yes, I twisted my ankle. In gym. Can you give me a ride home? Please?’

Draken looked at you bizarrely while Mikey lowered his face and cleared his throat into his fist. He knew what Emma was doing. Despite being a little bit childish at times and in general acting like he was carefree and oblivious, he knew about Emma’s feelings for his friend, and given how often he let Emma, and you come along, he must have approved of them too.

‘No problem,’ he finally said grinning widely at you before waving you over like a dog, ‘Come on, Y/N-chan. I’ll take you home. Poor baby with a twisted ankle,’ he mocked you as you walked toward him. You knew it was in good nature. Mikey was never purposely mean to you.

You refused to limp, but you at least had the decency to walk slowly not to completely out Emma’s lie. Seriously, you were beginning to question just how good this friendship was to you.

You sighed and got behind the blond as he passed you his spare helmet. It wasn’t the first time you rode with him. After all, Emma took every opportunity she could get to be close to Draken, and because you so often tagged along you had to get somehow home too. Still, to say you were used to the feeling would be a total lie. You still felt nervous and knew everyone with a pair of eyes could see it.

‘Ah, my bad, I should have picked you up, huh?’ he turned around and grinned at you, clearly enjoying this too much, so you repaid him by putting your arms around his middle and squeezing, hard.

He let out a small, startled noise, but you knew that was mostly for your benefit. No way, you actually hurt the invincible Mikey after all. At times it was easy to deal with Mikey. You knew him for as long as Emma, and since he often went on board with Emma’s little attempts to get closer to Draken, you had something like an understanding between you two. Also, his bratty personality helped you forget you were about to once again ride on his beloved death trap.

‘Hey, wouldn’t it make more sense if Y/L/N went with me? Aren’t you heading home, Mikey?’ asked Draken suddenly causing the rest of you to freeze because, after all, he wasn’t wrong. It made very little sense for Mikey to drive you and then go home afterward.

‘Uhmm, but I’m…cooking for Mikey-kun,’ you said quickly surprising everyone including you because cooking?!

‘Right, you still owe me for beating up that punk who made you cry,’ he said sounding quite delighted while you were left puzzled about what he meant. You didn’t really think anyone made you cry recently. Distantly, you recalled he punched someone for your benefit like four years ago, but the details were hazy.

However, the answer seemed to satisfy Draken, who didn’t say anything else just wished his leader and you farewell.

Mentally, you rolled your eyes at how excited Emma looked while holding onto him, but you still offered her a smile and a wave.

‘Yare yare,’ said Mikey and shook his head while starting this bike, ‘Could she be any more desperate?’

Taking your role as Emma’s best friend seriously, you pinched his arm, ‘Hey, that’s my best friend you’re talking about.’

He made a little distressed noise which again had to only be for your benefit, but you still appreciated it. The ride was mostly silent and fast, but not dangerously so. Maybe you were getting used to it though because unlike other times when you were holding onto the blond for dear life, now you were falling into your thoughts thinking about what happened after class and in general about how invisible you felt at times.

It wasn’t even that you lacked strangers noticing you really. It was that you lacked that one person who would.

Even if Emma didn’t care for the attention, Draken seemed to be playing hard to get. You knew the tall blond liked her. It was painfully obvious; they would be one of those couples who would marry soon after her graduation and first among their friends to have kids.

However, when you tried to picture yourself in the future you couldn’t imagine ever having someone to come home to, spend time with, or have a family. You wanted to, but you couldn’t really see it happening. Guys didn’t really pay attention to you whether you were with Emma or not. You couldn’t really tell why it was, but it always felt like you had to try hard and put yourself really out there to even be noticed, and even then, it felt like more often than not people didn’t even care about what you had to say. Apart from Emma, you always felt like you said the wrong thing or annoyed people when you spoke. You couldn’t explain it, but it just felt like that.

Your thoughts came to a halt as Mikey stopped at a red light. You were too busy daydreaming or maybe he finally took your complaints to heart and drove slower, but the ride felt strangely nice and relaxing. Almost like you were sightseeing or on a nice ride around town to kill time.

While you waited for the light to go green, you noticed a few high school girls looking in your direction.

It made you feel self-conscious and try to shrink into yourself before you realized they couldn’t see you looking at them with the helmet on. Were they staring at Mikey? It wouldn’t be anything new since whenever someone noticed he was wearing his gang uniform they stared a lot. But the Toman’s kanji on his back was hidden by your body while you were holding him. Sure, even if you could never admit it out loud, Mikey was a really handsome guy, so it made sense if they were eyeing him, but he was wearing a helmet too, so they couldn’t see his face.

It’s not like they're romanticizing us and think we’re a cute couple on a ride through town, right?You asked yourself. Surely, not. Why would they even think that?

You glanced ahead. You were pressed against Mikey’s back quite a lot, and you were holding him really tightly, but that was only because it was safer that way.

You felt your face heat up even if you told yourself you were being silly for making up stuff like that.

Ridiculous.

Anyone thinking you and Mikey were a couple was being ridiculous.

Still, having the day you had and facing the insecurities that haunted you for so long it wasn’t the worst thing in the world to know someone could think you would be worthy of someone like Mikey. Of anyone really.

Finally, the light turned green, and the bike came to life again and moved away from those girls. Unfortunately, you couldn’t escape your thoughts. You felt stupidly proud at the idea someone might envy you even if there really wasn’t anything to envy in the first place. You and Mikey weren’t dating. You were barely friends. You were mostly friendly because of Emma and maybe mutual respect?

‘Hey,’ you heard him call out when he slowed down a bit, ‘Any tighter and I’ll think you like me.’

You let out a startled noise from the back of your throat and immediately eased up on your hold. Seriously, you didn’t even really start to hold him so tight.

You felt him pat your palm though and laugh, It’s fine. Relax.’ Easy for him to say.

By the time, he got you home, you did your best to chase all the unnecessary thoughts out of your mind. You were already struggling thinking you were destined to be alone, gaining an unrequited crush on your best friend’s brother would do you absolutely no good.

You got off the bike stumbling a bit because of course you did, but Mikey easily snatched your elbow somewhat helping you find your balance, ‘Thanks!’

He nodded and let you go also getting off the bike, ‘So will you make me some taiyaki?’

You weren’t surprised he actually wanted food. If there was one thing you knew about the blond apart from how protective he was of his sister and how he could take down anyone who challenged him then it was that he was always hungry. Most of the time for taiyaki.

You sighed. You didn’t want to bring him down, but you knew better than to promise something that you couldn’t really deliver on. You had never made taiyaki before, and overall you weren’t the best cook around.

‘I’ve never made it before. But I can make dinner if you like. Nothing extra!' you hurried to add, 'Just something quick?’

‘Man,’ his shoulders and face fell a bit, and his face twisted with a light pout, ‘Mean. And to think I drove you all the way here.’

You were about to tell him off when he started walking toward your home not waiting for your remarks.

When he was by your door he turned back looking at you with that same bored and calm expression he often had but with the addition of his lazy smile, 'You coming?'

Although his visit was unexpected and new, you still did your best to be a polite host. You kinda thought he would stick around the living room and watch TV or go play something on your computer, but instead, he followed you into the kitchen and glued to a chair facing your back, he watched you work. It was a bit strange and unnerving, but you did your best to ignore it.

When he came to stand beside you, you couldn’t help but think something was on his mind. After all, Manjiro Sano was known to doze off during gang meetings or act like he owned the place wherever he went so sticking to your side seemed oddly too polite from him.

‘Do you really want to change your hair and style?’ he asked after a moment eyeing you.

You glanced at him. His usually cheerful or bored dark eyes carried a more sober almost serious look behind them. It almost made you feel like you were in trouble.

‘Oh, that? That’s just something Emma and I talked about before,’ you said embarrassed at the idea that Mikey or anyone would know about what was bothering you. It sounded stupid, and weird to say it out loud, and you were sure you would get looked at weirdly if anyone knew just like you often did when you said something that felt like the wrong thing to say in the first place.

However, even when you return to cooking, you feel the blond’s eyes on you, ‘Are you…,’ his voice dropped a bit further adding to his oddly and atypically serious appearance, ‘trying to get someone’s attention?’

Your eyes glanced at Mikey, and you were surprised to find him looking at you so dangerously. You couldn’t really explain it any other way. It wasn’t like he was planning to fight you or anything like that, but it was like he was weighing your words and debating on their importance for some reason.

‘Uhm, just in general,’ you found yourself saying before you could stop yourself. Once again you felt hot embarrassment settle across your face in the form of a blush, ‘I’m a pretty invisible person most of the time. Sometimes I wouldn’t mind to be noticed, you know?’ You cringed at how pathetic that sounded and seriously wondered what was wrong with you to talk with Mikey about this. He was more than a little dense. Not by being stupid just too carefree and not fixated on stuff like you to were.

Out of the corner of your eyes, you saw his back pressed against your counter and he looked ahead, in the opposite direction from you, ‘Well, don’t.’

You properly looked at him again and found him still looking ahead but this time he crossed his arms and pouted again the way he sometimes did which made him look really young, ‘Don’t try to gain anyone else’s attention. I won’t like that if too many people stare at you.’

You blinked and then you blinked again and again as you painfully slowly took his words in, ‘W-what?!’

‘You’re burning the food,’ he said casually and nodded toward the stove in front of you where you really were burning your dinner. You quickly tried to save it somehow by doing a half-decent job although you were still tempted to call it a day and go buy something.

Still, you had more pressing matters at hand. Surely, you didn’t hear him right or you misunderstood him completely. Yet mistake or not your heart was beating far too quickly, and your voice shook when you asked, ‘Mikey-kun,’ you started to whisper, ‘what did you mean by that?’

He took a plate without asking and gave it to you so you could put the food on it, ‘Hm? Oh, that?’

You waited.

‘Don’t worry about it,’ he said, and you were left staring at him and his empty plate. Mechanically, you took it after a moment and put the food on it all the while glancing at the blond boy wondering if he was pulling your leg or something.

He started to eat without you, ‘It’s not the best.’

You forgot about your previous conversation as your face grew hotter from embarrassment again, ‘Then don’t eat it. I’ll get us something else.’

You tried to walk toward him and grab the plate, but he blocked you, ‘Nope, this is fine.’

You frowned a bit feeling even more humiliated, ‘No, it’s not. You just said so yourself.’

‘It’s fine,’ he said and continued to eat. You wanted to be touched, and you were, but a part of you was seriously horrified that you made something bad and had someone, a guest, eat it.

You sat down opposite of Mikey and dug in. It really wasn’t the best. It wasn’t the worst, it just wasn’t overly delicious either, ‘Come on! Drop that face. It’s fine.’

You shook your head, ‘It’s not, but thanks for trying. I haven’t really had much practice, but I’ll do my best to get better and make it up to you next time.’

Mikey’s face inexplicably softened and a cute smile came across it reminding you that all in all, he was a very handsome guy, ‘Really, next time, Y/N-chan? So, it’ll be a weekly date?’

That question knocked the wind out of your lungs and made you choke on your bite a little although that might have been the food itself. It took you a hot minute to actually manage to speak again, ‘D-date?’

Mikey grinned at you like he knew something you didn’t before he continued to eat as if he didn’t say anything at all. You wanted to ask what he meant, but you weren’t sure how, and felt that if you did as he refused to answer, you would feel ridiculous. You started to small talk at least, but not the way strangers were but how two future friends would. It wasn’t as intimate and quick as a heartbeat like it was with Emma, but it was still a nice and cozy chat, so you couldn’t complain.

By the time he finished and prepared to leave you had to tell yourself it was a very strange day. Although maybe not the worst.

You walked Mikey to his bike. It felt like the least you could do. After all, he drove you home, you had no taiyaki for him, and you cooked him mediocre food at best. Although he brushed it off, what he said, didn’t leave your mind throughout the whole time you were together.

‘Thanks for the food, I’ll be holding you up on your promise to get better,’ he said with a semi-pretend serious look that made you chuckle, ‘Yeah, just don’t get your hopes up. It might take a while.’

He turned toward his bike, and you felt a little bit disappointed in yourself. If you were a different more confident person, you would surely ask him about what happened back there.

Suddenly, just as you glanced back at your house you felt Mikey’s hand rest on your waist.

Your eyes widened, and you looked back only to find him in front of you again so close you might as well be hugging, ‘Huh?’

His palm on your waist was warm, but not uncomfortable. He wasn’t being forceful, just present enough that you knew with every thought and cell inside your body that he was touching you there. It sounded silly. You touched him plenty when you held onto him while you rode and yet now it felt different. In those times, it was a necessity to touch each other, now it was a desire.

You couldn’t see his face when he leaned forward but his voice sounded quiet and serious again, ‘It’s fine if you really want to change, Y/N-chan,’ your heart speeded up and your breathing grew louder than his words yet you still heard the rest of what he had to say, ‘Just know that I always pay attention to you. Even as you are now.’

Something soft and damp pressed against your temple, but when your shy self finally gained the courage to look, Mikey was already letting go of you and getting on his bike.

His cheeks were dusted with the lightest shades of pink, but you still noticed it, while he grinned at you, ‘Maybe just your cooking.’

You were still taking it all in so it took you a moment to realize what he meant. Your own face was burning hot as you tried to process what happened, your emotions and make up a good comeback only to stutter, ‘Y-yeah, like…like you can d-do better?’

The blond looked as carefree as ever, ‘Come tomorrow and find out. I’ll ask Emma for pointers.’

‘That’s cheating,’ you replied but still found yourself grinning as well. You couldn’t help it. It seemed that the corners of your mouth had lives of their own.

‘Bye, Y/N-chan,’ he said smiling, so you wished him goodbye as well as a safe trip home and remained standing there for a little longer after the sound of his bike could no longer be heard in the distance.

As you walked home, your hands covered your face, and you couldn’t stop smiling and wondering what the hell just happened all the while your heart was beating with a newfound rhythm of knowing there was someone whose attention belonged to you after all.

Koniec

A.N: Thank you for taking the time to read this.😊 English isn’t my first language, so I apologize for grammatical mistakes. I hope you and your loved ones are safe. Have a lovely day 💙💛

#tokyo revengers fluff #tokyo rev fluff #tokyo revengers x reader #tokyo rev x reader #tokyo revengers x you #tokyo revengers x y/n #tokyo rev x y/n #manjiro sano x you #sano manjiro x reader #manjiro sano x reader #manjiro x reader #mikey x y/n #mikey x you #mikey x reader #manjiro sano fluff #sano manjiro fluff #mikey sano fluff #mikey sano x you #mikey sano x reader

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peculiarinsomniac · 17 hours ago

Note

Hi. How are you? I wish you a good weekend in advance, since today is Thursday.

Please don't rush to write. Take your time.

Geez! I wanted to send you an aesthetic but, it's okay.

Vampire Levi Ackerman x female reader soulmate.

Content: NSFW, angst, fluff

In which Levi lost his beloved to vampire hunters.

Many years have passed, and now Levi has found a new vampire companion. (Not the reader).

The reader is reborn in this new modern world as a human. The reader had the unique eye color, purple. In the past, Levi had gifted the reader a pair of amethyst stone earrings to match her eyes. He had had them made especially for her.

Levi meets the reader again at a gala. He recognizes the unique scent of her blood.

Now, what will Levi do when he finds the love of his life? The only person who makes his dead heart beat.

Happy ending for Levi and the reader, please. 🥹🩷

Feel free to change things up.

Fate’s Cruel Journey

Pairing: vampire! Levi x fem! reader

Warnings: blood, violence, killing, vampire lore, lots of swearing (mostly from Levi).

Genre: angst to fluff

Summary: Levi lost his wife many years ago to vampire hunters, now, centuries later, what happens when he finds her again at a party but she has no idea who she is?

Note: The only real physical description of the reader is that she has purple eyes, but otherwise she's pretty nuetral and I've re-read the fic so many times, I can't tell if there's anymore mistakes because of brain malfunctions.

AAAAAAANd I also wanna thank you for being so patient. I haven't written for aot in like over a year so writer's block unfortunately hit pretty hard. Hope you like it!!

Sent in by the person who requested :) an ai visual of Levi’s vampire look.

The breeze seems colder tonight. The stars twinkle faster than Y/n remembers, too.

Maybe it’s the full moon beaming down on her body.

Or maybe it’s the wooden stake impaled near her heart that heightens her senses in her last moments.

The crickets and cicadas chirp a little louder as well. The rain also seems to dribble down her body quite rapidly.

No, that was really blood- not rain, the blood of a vampire. Thick black liquid spills out of the wound and a tiny line even trails from the corner of her mouth.

Night has never looked so beautiful. Through her half-lidded eyes and blurring vision, she swears she sees a shooting star.

Make a wish.

“Let me watch over him…” she whispers to no one in particular, just whatever deity above is willing to listen.

A choked sound leaves her chapped lips as the black goo starts to seep into the back of her throat.

Him….

Him-

Footsteps quickly sound off in her left ear and her head rolls slightly in the direction.

“No, no…” The voice, a man’s voice, rasps out. “Stay with me, Y/n. Don’t you fucking leave me.”

Though a harsh choice of words, she can make out the slight shakiness in the man’s voice.

Her eyes finally settle on the figure. A cold and calloused hand touches her face tenderly, the hands cradling her features. She can faintly feel the thumb rubbing across the cheekbone as her face is turned towards the figure.

A small smile breaks out on her face.

This wasn’t any man. This was her man.

Her husband.

Her Levi.

“I-I didn’t know there were so many of them.” She whispers as her breathing quivers again. “I was just h-hungry.”

Levi’s jaw clenches as his steel blue eyes gaze into her purple ones. “I know, baby. It’s okay, I’m going to get you back home.”

Levi moves to pick her up, but she lets out a noise that stops him.

“N-no, don’t do that. I’ll only die quicker.”

An unsettling feeling takes over Levi’s entire body as he contemplates her words. She's right. Any slight movement of the stake would easily pierce her heart and kill her before he could even properly say goodbye.

Levi sucks in a harsh breath, trying to fight the tears lining his eyes. This isn’t happening. She was going to be just fine. It’s just a nightmare and he’ll wake up.

A cough interrupts his thoughts, and Levi is quick to pull her away from the tree and into his arms. Her back rests against his chest and her head falls to his bicep.

“I wish we could go back to the first day we met…” Her words go unanswered for a few moments as Levi recalls the memory.

——

He had already been turned for a few years and was wandering the streets looking for food- for blood. Passing by a rowdy tavern, his heightened hearing was able to pick up faint crying coming from the alleyway next to it.

Cautiously approaching the dark entrance, he makes out a figure sobbing over a bloodied body.

With an intake of breath, he quickly hides himself. There have been rumors of vampires lurking in the village. If someone saw the way his blue eyes flickered to red at the smell of blood, he’d be hunted down for sure.

“What have I done, no, oh my god…” the figure sobs quietly.

Levi was now curious. Did this person kill the other? Pushing down his suspicions, he starts to walk towards the pair.

The figure- a young woman- lifts her head in shock at his appearance. Her eyes were puffy from crying and her clothes seemed to be torn and dirtied.

“I didn’t kill him!” Her eyes dart between him and the dead body as she quickly stands. “I-I promise!”

Levi gives out a scoff. “Tell that to the blood all over your chin.”

She gasps and her hand comes up to cover the crimson patch.

“He came at me.”

“And you sucked his blood, right?”

The woman freezes at his words. He knows.

He knows and he seems so calm about it.

Levi gives out a ‘hmph’ at the sound of barking laughter from drunken men lurking closer.

“Either follow me or worry about them.” He gives her one last look before walking down the alley. “Your choice.”

His silhouette slowly disappears through the thick fog. The woman chews her lip, tongue swiping over the blood that lingered.

Hesitantly, she follows him.

“Who are you?” She asks.

“A vampire, just like you.” Levi grabs her arm and yanks her behind a few stacked barrels to hide them from prying eyes. “Names Levi.”

And from then on, Levi took her in. He showed her how to hunt humans and discreetly suck their blood without creating too much of a mess. He showed her how to hide in the shadows and blend in.

Most importantly, he showed her how to love.

——

“Why’s that?” Levi asks.

Keep her talking.

Y/n glances at the moon before her lavender eyes fall back to her husband. Her hand shakily comes up to brush his hair away from his forehead. “Because I would get to fall in love with you all over again.” Then her hand dropped and her purple irises stilled.

She was gone…

Levi prayed to that same deity over and over again. Please let this all be a nightmare.

Let me wake up.

—-

Levi shoots up from his bed with a cold sweat coating his body.

He lets out ragged breaths as he tries to figure out where he is.

His mind can make out the familiar Victorian style furniture and he realizes where he is. He’s home… or at least the manor he resided at.

Fate was too cruel in this story. Levi did have a nightmare about his wife and he did wake up, but the narrative still stayed the same.

Y/n was still gone and she had been for a while.

A small knock rapped at the wooden door and Levi rubbed his exhausted eyes before telling them to come in.

Vera, Levi’s ‘roommate’, walks in. Years after his wife passed, he met her being chased by hunters and saved her. The pair decided to stick together for survival, but it was nothing close to what it was with his Y/n.

“I heard you screaming again. Another nightmare?” Her voice is concerned.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” She nods and hesitates before closing the door, knowing he won’t beg her to stay. It wasn’t the same and it never will be.

Vera was a sweet girl, but over time, she started to see Levi as possibly more than what their situation actually was. It was easy to tell in her body language and words that she liked him and longed for something more.

Levi told her his wife’s story, yet she persisted.

It angered him and it felt disrespectful. Even though it’s been years, he can't see himself with anyone else nor does he want to.

The phone pings on the edge of the nightstand, the screen illuminating the dark room. With a groan, Levi retrieves it and sees the text from the leader of another vampire clan. Eren with the Yeagerists.

-I sent Vera all the details for tonight. Everyone’s excited to finally feed again, but don’t worry we’ll make sure not to get any blood on your ancient relics.

That’s right, the details of what took months of planning were flooding his head again. The Yeagerists, The Scouts, along with Levi and Vera had planned a Gala of the sorts. Another stupid and expensive party for the elite humans to socialize. Perfect for their trap.

“Little brat,” he mutters with the urge to roll his eyes at the text. Eren was a newer vampire and has only been turned for about 250 years and he already thinks he knows best.

Levi sits up and starts getting ready for the day- err night. When he finishes tying his neatly ironed cravat, he makes sure to take a small feather duster to the old antiques around his room.

Despite the new century, Levi took pride in keeping artifacts and decor from when he first turned. It gave him a sense of peace and calm, almost something that reminded him of home.

Of her.

— —

“Eren emailed me the list of guests attending,” Vera says as she sips on the mug of steaming black tea Levi prepared.

Levi glances at her and sees the small grimace on her face as she takes a sip.

“You don’t have a drink it, you know.” He chides her.

“No, I like it. It’s very good.” She lies and takes another sip.

Ass-kissing won’t get you anywhere with me.

With a sigh, Levi finishes his own cup and rinses it in the sink. “Anyone of importance?”

Vera shakes her head.

“No, just a bunch of old, snobby bureaucrats and their wives. Although…” she trails off. “There was one person, a girl. I guess she’s the niece of one of them. Nothing strange, but she is the youngest one attending in her mid-twenties.”

“What a shame.”

The venue was at their manor nestled deep into the woods- perfect to hide the screams. When the clock strikes midnight, lock the doors, and have the feast of their lives.

Now that technology has advanced so much within the past century, it’s been hard to hunt without worrying about someone’s camera recording them. Vera said she had almost been caught if not for that stupid woman’s flash going off and alerting her.

At least this way, although barbaric, was the safest and strategic for their kind.

“It’s four o’clock now. What time should we be expecting our guests?” Vera asks.

“Around six. Make sure to dust the foyer. I wouldn’t want these people’s last thoughts to be about dying in a pig pen.”

——

When the grandfather clock chimes six times throughout the manor, Levi doesn’t hesitate to open the door.

Erwin of the Scout clan stands there with his guests of vampires.

“Right on time,” Levi hides the small smile daring to cross his face. “As usual.”

“Still as gracious as ever, Levi,” Erwin says, not bothering to hide his own smile at seeing his long-time friend.

There’s a small pause.

“May we come in?”

“Tch, you of all people should know vampires obeying invitations are only a myth, right?”

“Still good manners.”

“I see.” He sighs and opens the door. “Come in.”

Erwin was the oldest vampire among their group for almost a thousand years. 861 if you wanted to be precise.

“Levi!”

Arms wrap around his shoulders from behind, catching him off guard and he quickly catches his balance.

“Hange, I see you’re still the same as always.” He pats their wrists locked around his frame as his way of saying hello.

“Never better actually! You wouldn't believe the new things humans are doing these days.”

Hange was the eccentric one of the bunch. Even though they are only about 655 years turned, studying humans has never ceased their interests.

“I can’t wait to hear all about it,” he tells them and nods at the other vampires, Moblit and Miche.

Erwin says hello to Vera who shyly greets the clan. “How is the baby of the clans doing?”

Vera blushes at Erwin’s comment. She was only 179 years old. “I’m doing good. Just excited to finally feed again. It feels like it’s been forever.”

Before Erwin can respond, there’s a loud knock at the door. Levi opens the door and there stand the Yeagerists.

“Eren.”

“Levi.”

“Come on in, you little brats.”

The other clan, though younger in both physicality and biology, have taken their stand on being vampires. Rather than staying true to traditions, they continued to live among the humans rather than secluding themselves away.

“Eren, Mikasa, Armin,” Erwin greets. “Good to see you kids are doing alright.”

“You too, sir.” Armin smiles while Mikasa nods in response.

“Aren’t there more vampires coming?” Hange asks.

Levi makes a ‘hmph’ noise and sighs. “The other kids are late… as usual.”

———

By the next hour, the house was already lively as can be with multiple clans of vampires. The older manor was brighter than Levi normally likes to keep it, Bluetooth speakers were strewn along the rooms, each echoing classical music.

Levi studied everyone in the room from a secluded corner, his enhanced hearing allowing him to eavesdrop on everyone’s conversation. Multiple humans were talking about their successful businesses. Others about their divorces with much younger women dangling off their arms. Even one was boasting about tearing down a nearby park to expand his building.

It made him sick.

Even though the clans normally didn’t have any remorse about killing and sucking dry their victims, they still like to make sure it was humans who at least deserve to suffer.

“I finally found you, Levi.” A voice calls out, making him pause mid-sip of his tea.

Hardy Gustav. A rich and powerful sixty-year-old man of the 21st century. A woman who looked like she was in her thirties was glued to his side, his wife, Vanessa.

“Glad you can make it.” Levi nods, trying to loosen the death grip on his teacup. He’s had a few encounters with Hardy over the past and let’s just say he was someone Levi couldn’t wait to sink his teeth into. “Vanessa.”

“Have you met my niece yet? She's around here somewhere.” Hardy glances around the crowded room.

Levi shakes his head and lets out a sigh. “No, I haven’t yet. Don’t worry, though, the night is still young and I’m sure I’ll bump into her.”

Not like it will matter in just a few short hours anyway.

——

Sipping the bitter wine with a frown, she forces herself to act like she likes it. Y/n has never been too fond of these things, unfortunately. Her uncle Hardy has begged her to accompany him as he thought it would do some good for her mind.

“I need to introduce you to powerful people. Once you see how they carry themselves, you’ll never dream about meeting your husband in some run-down bookstore,” he had told her. “You’ll be taken care of for life.”

She rolls her eyes at the memory. All she sees right now are men twice or triple her age with women who were definitely out of their league. There's no way she’d meet anyone here.

Sorry to disappoint you, Uncle Hardy.

Taking another sip of the gross wine, she decided it was time to find her uncle and tell him she’d be leaving early. Getting out of her tight dress and watching sitcoms all night sounded like a better evening, anyways.

Turning around, she doesn’t see the gentleman walking past her and unceremoniously bumps into him- wine glass included.

“Oh my god! I’m so sorry.” Y/n exclaims and sets the now-empty wine glass on a nearby table. Her face grows hot as people around them laugh and start to whisper. “Shit, shit, shit, it’s red wine too and of course you’re wearing white…”

Levi feels the liquid dribble down his neatly pressed white shirt and he fights the urge to snap at the woman.

“It’s alright, really, I’ll just head upstairs and-”

Levi finally looks at her- Really looks at her.

Y/n…

“How did you know my name?” She asks with a confused look as she holds a white cloth napkin.

Shit, he said that out loud?

“I’m so sorry, I can pay for your dry cleaning.” Her hand moved the napkin to his shirt to wipe the stain, but he quickly intercepted it. As soon as his skin touched hers, it was as if all time had stopped.

For the first time in his life, all sound had ceased and a ringing sound echoed in his ears. The movements of the guests and clans around them had blurred together and her figure was the only thing still in focus. If his heart was still beating- he was sure this was the moment it would have stopped.

“N-no,” he hastily clears his throat. “Let me just go change. Excuse me…”

Y/n watches him leave with a confused look.

——

Levi can’t breathe when he enters his room with a slam of the door. Not that he could, anyway, but was that sweat running down his face?

He struggles to loosen his cravat and he tugs at the material hurriedly, then tearing off his blazer and throwing it god knows where in the room.

Fuck.

This has never happened to him before. There's no way. It couldn’t be her.

A pounding noise echoed in his mind and it took him a minute to register that it was a knock on the door. He had the urge to yell and tell the person to get lost.

“Levi, it’s me,” Erwin’s voice rang out.

I can’t do this alone.

With urgency, Levi opens the door. Erwin’s brows furrowed at seeing Levi, who’s usually so composed, in such a distraught. Before he could ask, Levi had already grabbed his collar and yanked him inside the room before slamming the door again.

“What the hell is going on with you?” Erwin asked, concern and confusion lacing his words.

“I-it’s her. God, Erwin, I swear it was her.”

Erwin stiffened at his words. There's only one ‘her’ Levi cared about… only one who could make him feel and act this way.

“How?”

“How the fuck should I know? S-she bumped into me and spilled wine all over me.” Levi’s sentences were rushed and his tone carried a certain vulnerability Erwin’s never heard before.

“You need to calm down or you’ll be the first vampire to ever have a panic attack.” Erwin’s voice was stern, yet he knew someone had to keep Levi grounded.

A dry chuckle leaves Levi. “Don’t tell Hange or they’ll poke and prod.”

Erwin stays silent, not knowing what to say at the possibility of Levi seeing his wife again who’s been dead for centuries.

“Who is she? Why is she here?”

“I don’t know… I think it’s Gustav’s niece. Hange even said she’d be the youngest one here. It has to be.”

Erwin runs through all the possible scenarios and what-ifs. “Are you sure it’s not just a doppelgänger? It happens-”

“No.” Levi was quick to cut him off. “Her blood. Her blood… it’s too familiar. It’s her. I caught her scent and I was following it- that’s why I bumped into her. That’s my wife. Fuck, I can’t go back out there, Erwin.”

“Yes, you can.” He places a comforting hand on Levi’s shoulder. “That’s your wife. You have to.”

Anger swirled through Levi. Years and years of suppressed pain and suffering were finally coming to the surface.

“But she didn’t recognize me! She doesn’t know who I am!”

Erwin grabs Levi by both his shoulders this time.

“Then make her.”

——

Y/n stands uncomfortably next to her uncle and other businessmen as they talk, and talk, and talk-

Out of the corner of her eye, she spots the same man she bumped into earlier coming down the stairs- this time wearing an all-black suit.

She quickly excuses herself.

“Hi, I’m so sorry again. I just wanted to apologize and make sure you were okay. Like I said before, I can pay for the dry cleaning-”

The man cuts her off with a shake of his head. “Don’t worry about it, please. Accidents happen.”

Y/n nods at his words and averts her gaze as she can feel her face heat up again, but tries to make light of the situation. “Well, in case I haven’t said it before, I’m sorry, Mister…?”

“Levi,” The man answers in a raspy voice. “Levi Ackerman.”

She shakes his hand and shivers a bit at the cold touch, yet something about the way his skin touched hers felt so… familiar.

“Oh! This is your party, I’m so sorry for not recognizing you before. I’m not usually one for these scenes.” She smiles and brushes her hair behind her ears.

The earrings she was wearing glimmered in the chandelier light as the amethyst crystals dangled from her ears.

“Your earrings…”

She touched the stones and smiles. “I found these at an antique shop. There was something about them, I couldn’t leave without buying them.”

“They look lovely on you.”

Y/n cannot hide the blush that covers her face.

“Thank you.”

Before anyone else can say anything, the grandfather clock strikes the next hour and Levi freezes. It’s as if an eery chill took over the manor as Levi notices the clans glancing at each other with knowing looks.

It’s time.

Miche and Jean act quickly, using their strength to push over the bookshelves and block the door.

The crowd gasps as books and priceless antiques shatter and litter the foyer.

Hange lets out a maniacal laugh before grabbing the nearest person and sinking their fangs into his neck.

Screams and cries quickly echo in the lavish atmosphere. What was once a party for the elites, was now turned into a bloodbath for the vampires.

And not a drop was to be wasted.

——

“Uncle? Uncle, where are you?” Y/n cries out as she backs into a corner behind a turned-over table. She couldn’t see him anywhere and the vampires moving in a frenzy made her vision struggle to catch up.

Bodies quickly fall lifeless and pale to the shiny marble flooring. A body, a woman’s body, fell in front of the table and only her top half was visible.

Vanessa.

Her pleading brown eyes quickly locked onto Y/n’s face in horror.

“Help me!” She screeched before she was dragged out of her line of sight and her screams quickly silenced.

Once the screaming stopped, a man stood up from behind the table. His mullet-styled hair framed his eyes which were now fading between hazel and the true crimson color of a vampire as he licks the blood dribbling from his bottom lip.

With just one hand, the vampire quickly shoves the table and the heavy wood grinds across the flooring with a sickening scrape.

“You’re a pretty one. Such a waste.” Before the vampire could pounce on her, another figure tackled him to the ground.

“Jean, back off.” Levi stands defensively in front of her.

Jean dusts himself off and shoots him a look.

“Look if you wanted dibs, I get it.”

“That’s my fucking wife.”

Y/n’s eyes widen at Levi’s words.

Wife?

What the hell was he talking about? She had only just met him.

Levi’s eyes turn towards her and his stomach feels like it’s in his throat when he just sees fear written all over her face.

She still doesn’t remember…

Hange detaches themselves from the neck of someone and their eyes fill with shock. “Levi… it’s not possible.”

The older vampires of the clans all turn towards Levi all stunned at his claim. "No one fucking touches her! Do I make myself clear?"

The air is still, safe for the sound of Y/n's heavy pants from fear and adrenaline ringing out in the eerily quiet manor. With a glance around the room, it's easy to tell she's the only human still alive. The other guests, including her uncle, have all been killed. Their bodies are strewn across the torn apart manor and she's surrounded helplessly by vampires.

Levi takes a deep breath and faces the woman- his wife. His hand cautiously reaches out towards her to offer her a hand to stand. Y/n recoils slightly at the gesture and just stares at him, her lavender iris shaking.

"You have no idea who I am to you, do you?"

She swallows heavily and slowly shakes her head 'no.'

"If you come with me, I can explain everything."

Y/n only averts her eyes and chews her lip.

"Or you can stay with them. Up to you."

Again, her eyes scan over the multiple vampires all watching the exchange. Finally, she takes his hand and he helps her stand up. Levi leads her to the staircase and briefly stops as his eyes sweep over the mangled bodies and destroyed furniture.

"Clean up this mess."

---

Y/n's thoughts raced a million miles per minute. She's being escorted through some stranger's house after all the guests were just murdered in front of her eyes.

What sort of twisted joke was this?

Blindly, she follows him into a room and he shuts the door behind her. She remains standing with her back towards him, too afraid to face him.

"Y/n."

Hearing her own name makes her stiffen up and she clenches her teeth and prays this is all a nightmare. "Look at me."

She stays still.

Levi's hand gently presses on her bicep and turns her to face him. He doesn't make any other movements after that, his own nerves getting the best of him.

After a few painfully long seconds of silence, Y/n speaks up.

"Y-you called me your wife." Her voice hasn't changed one bit… if only it wasn't so full of fear.

"I did."

"Why?" Her eyes finally meet his.

Now, Levi stays silent, because honestly, how do you explain to your supposed dead wife that she might have reincarnated centuries later and doesn't remember being a vampire with you in a different lifetime?

"Because you were. Many, many years ago." He moves towards a dresser on the other side of the room. Opening the first drawer, he rummages through until he pulls out a small box. "This was your wedding ring."

The velvet box opens to reveal a glistening diamond set atop a plain silver band. Y/n stares at the ring curiously. It almost triggers something in her brain, a sense of nostalgia, but no direct memories.

"I… it's not possible, I'm sorry," she starts, voice cracking in turmoil. "I've never met you before. I only just moved here-"

"From your hometown, right?" The box shuts with a sharp snap. A symbol of Levi's pent-up frustration getting the best of him. "You wanted a change of scenery from things back home… maybe find a husband and settle down, have a family."

"How did you-?"

"Because that was what you told me over two hundred years ago."

Silence was Y/n's only response.

"Those amethyst earrings you're wearing? They're real in case you were wondering and a gift from me on our first anniversary. You told me you wanted something to match your eyes."

He faces away from her, too caught up in his emotions to look at the woman who doesn’t recognize him.

"You might not remember me, but I remember everything about you. From your favorite color to your favorite flower; forget-me-not's, because you said it reminded you of my eyes, though fate has a fucking funny way of having that bite me in the ass."

"Look," she starts and hesitantly places a hand on his shoulder. "I don't know if it's because I'm really scared of you, but I believe you- in a way… I just don't remember."

The touch makes Levi jump a bit before his own hand covers hers and he solemnly nods. "I know."

A knock suddenly rings out in the room, making them both tense up. Levi gives her a reassuring look and answers the door. He's more than surprised to see Vera standing there.

"Vera? Someone better be fucking dying." He swears under his breath as he feels himself getting frustrated once more.

Vera wrings her hands together and she has a sorrowful look on her face. "I'm so sorry to interrupt, but the others are asking what to do with the bodies and we only have a few more hours till sunrise."

Levi pinches the bridge of his nose. "I'll be out right now."

Vera nods and walks to her own room. Levi shuts the door with a soft click and lets out a sigh. He looks towards the woman sitting timidly on the bed.

"I'll be back in five minutes. Please, don't leave. Believe me when I say you're safer here than anywhere else right now." He waits until she nods and makes his exit.

His footsteps are quick and irritable as he glides down the stairs and meets Erwin at the landing.

"What happened to everything we talked about? Why is Vera asking where the bodies should be disposed of?"

Erwin furrows his brows at Levi's words, confusion taking over his features. He gestures towards the room where the broken furniture was shoved into a corner and the rest of the bodies were piled up by the door, now wrapped up in sheets and curtains. "There was no confusion with your words, Levi. Half are going into the river, and the other half we're burying. We're making great time, too. Feeding gave everyone their strength back. "

Now, it's Levi's turn to be confused. An ear-piercing scream echoes throughout the house, making everyone freeze.

Y/n's scream.

With great speed, Levi and Erwin both move up the stairs and to his bedroom door. The knob stands still, refusing to open.

"Vera! Get the fuck away from her!" Levi yells through the thick wood before standing back and kicking the door down. The wood cracks and breaks easily under his force.

The sight before him horrifies him. Vera is hunched over Y/n, who is now lifeless on the floor.

Erwin is surprisingly faster than Levi and grips Vera around the waist, pulling her off Y/n.

Blood trickles down Vera's mouth and coats her chin, her crimson pupils dilated from ecstasy.

"No! Her blood is so sweet, please, I need more!" Vera cries out and thrashes against Erwin's hold. Levi doesn't waste another second and crouches by the lifeless human.

Deja vu floods his mind as he takes in her half-lidded eyes and raspy breathing. "No, no, no."

Like a mantra over and over again, Levi felt like he was always pleading with a brick wall in this life.

"What the hell is going on?" Eren asks from the broken doorway as Mikasa and Hange hover next to him, their eyes all widen in shock at seeing Y/n's barely conscious form and Vera's feral state.

Erwin moves Vera to the group and they quickly move to restrain her. "Take her and get her away from here! Kill her if you must."

Levi feels like the walls are closing in on him all over again. The pain, the anguish, the familiar feelings all come barreling through once more.

"Stay with me, Y/n! I'll be damned if I lose you again." He cries and cradles her body.

Her eyes lazily meet his as she struggles to breathe. The large bite wound in her neck oozes blood viciously and rapidly.

"I-I'm sorry about your wife," she wheezes out as tears flow from her eyes. Her breathing starts to become more shallow and her eyes slowly flutter shut.

Erwin places a hand on his shoulder, "Bite her. Fully turn her before it's too late."

Levi turns toward his friend, tears streaming down his face as he contemplates his words. His hand comes up behind her head to gently tilt it back and expose her bloody neck. His fangs emerge and he quickly buries them under her skin.

Another raw scream escapes her before she settles limp from the pain. Levi tries to ignore the whimpers of pain she lets out every time he moves.

Don't lose yourself, Levi.

Oh, but her blood did taste sweet. Heavenly, even.

Just a few more seconds…

No.

Control yourself.

Save her,

Save your wife.

Y/n gasps suddenly, her body arching in Levi's grasp. He loosens his grip as he detaches his fangs from her neck.

The blood leaking from the wound on her neck suddenly turns pitch black as the wound closes entirely and her skin loses all of its red pigment, now a duller shade of her natural skin tone. Heavy breaths escape her before her eyes shoot open.

Instead of her normal purple hue, her eyes were now a deep garnet. She had been reborn.

Y/n takes in her surroundings as she sits up from Levi's lap, but before she can look any further, Levi cradles her face in both hands. His blue eyes searched hers in both fear and anticipation, pleading that she would finally remember.

"Y/n?"

Her hands come up to his face and they swipe a stray tear down his pale cheek. "My husband."

Levi doesn't hesitate to pull her into his arms and bury his face in her shoulder.

Erwin doesn't hide the warm smile that graces his features as he takes his leave to give the couple their long-overdue reunion.

"My wife," Levi cries. "My beautiful wife. You're here. You're actually here."

Y/n nods tenderly into the material of his suit as her memories flood her brain. "I'm here, Levi."

He squeezes her impossibly tighter, afraid that she'll disappear again if he lets go.

They don't move from each other for a long time, but by the time they release each other, Levi stands and grabs the ring box sitting on the dresses. Y/n holds in another sob as she holds out her hand so Levi can slip on her wedding ring.

“I'm never letting you out of my sight again. That's a vow, for all of eternity."

#aot x reader #attack on titan #levi ackerman x reader #levi x reader #vampire au #vampire levi #aot x y/n #levi x y/n #levi x reader angst

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peculiarinsomniac · 6 days ago

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So this is something that’s bothered me for years but I never said anything. I can’t stand people who write fanfiction with an original character as the main character but tag as x reader. Like giving your character a name AND physical description is not a reader insert story. I understand the gender specific/neutral tags or intending your character to be a specific race or size but there does come a point where isn’t no longer a reader insert and it’s just a regular OC.

I wanna believe that a lot of people don’t understand the tag but as fanfiction writers I know that’s not the case. A lot of people do it to get more views for their story which is so dumb to me. Either write an actual reader insert or add the proper tags. It’s not that fucking hard.

Also I purposefully tagged reader insert tags I’m into to see if others have this same issue and what they think. I can’t be the only one annoyed but I’m cool either way.

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peculiarinsomniac · 9 days ago

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Some tips for when you’re feeling stuck!

Chibird store | Positive pin club | Instagram

#art

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peculiarinsomniac · 13 days ago

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Summary:

Your life was cut short, ready to accept your tragic fate you suddenly wake up as the daughter of a Count. Oh, this could be a chance to live life to the fullest! Finally, an opportunity to live life without breaking your back for a pitiful pay rate.

Wait, why are the Fatui threatening your parents? To alleviate their debt…they have to sell you to the Regrator?! Isn’t the Fatui a terrorist organization from the ‘Lovers Oath’ novel?! There’s only one way to survive…

In the future, the Kingdom of Liyue will suffer great losses from a surprise attack from the Snezhnaya army and tensions will rise. With this information, it’s time to seek out a powerful ally who coincidentally is the male lead in this story, Duke Alatus.

Will he lend a helping hand? Or will he think you’re a spy and have you executed? Hopefully not…

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3 [coming soon…]

Sneak Peak:

Part 2 Sneak Peak

To be added to the taglist please comment down below or in my inbox, thank you.

#genshin impact #genshin x reader #xiao x reader #xiao

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peculiarinsomniac · 13 days ago

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Word count: 8.6k

-> Part 1 here <-

-> [Masterlist] <-

A/N: ITS FINALLY HERE AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. I promise you all I’m very much sane. Apologies to those that have waited for so long but I really didn’t have the strength in me to do it at first but literally the thought of Chiori making dresses came in clutch idk why. Was it proofread? Yesnt. Enough of my rambling, I hope you all enjoy.

Taglist: @cloverdaley @7sins7dreams @catjs @lyradiaaa @acreativeusername

On that fateful night they met. Graced by the soft glow of the moonlight, her eyes gleamed like gold, her smile pure and innocent like an angel’s. None could ever compare to her beauty and grace.

“Ah, your grace.” She gasped. “What brings you here on this lovely night?”

He remained silent, opting to only look at her while she too looked at him curiously. She reached upwards to twirl her hair playfully. “It’s rude to stare at guests, surely you know this right?”

He scoffed, surprisingly not out of annoyance. “I’m sure you’re aware that a royal shouldn’t be walking around unattended, Your Highness.”

“Oh? Is that so?” She smiled coyly. The princess outstretched her hands towards the Duke, an inviting gesture to enjoy the night. “Would you do me the honor of accompanying me tonight, your grace?”

Her casual and playful demeanor caught his attention. He didn’t show it, but something about that smile made his heart race just a little. Could it be…

A tight pinch to your left shoulder snaps you out of your daze, jolting at the unwanted feeling.

A stern voice scolded you softly. “I told you to stay focused madam. Do that again and these needles may find a permanent home in your bosom!”

The head chef—Xiangling—who decided to watch the fitting process stood quickly to your defense. “I’m sure she’s just daydreaming of the final adjustments made to the dress Ms. Chiori! Please don’t stab her…”

“As if I would purposely stab her.” Chiori scoffed. She reaches out a pair of scissors to snip the thread as she deems it sufficient to finish the adjustments. “If his Grace hadn’t rushed me to travel down to the Harbor from Fontaine then I would’ve been prepared to do this one with a mannequin her size, but no! He’s lucky I have no clients waiting for me but this is ridiculous!”

She finished her stitching and sighed in relief. “How about now?”

You do a slow twirl, getting a feel for the dress after its adjustments. It was much more fitting than when you first tried it on. Xiangling watches in glee at how beautiful the dress is perfect for you while Chiori maintained a watchful eye.

“Fits like a glove.” You said.

Xiangling gushes at how beautiful the dress looks on you. “You look just like a princess! His Grace will be enamored when he sees you tonight.”

“Considering he forced me to endure a 15 hour trip down here, it’s safe to assume he is quite whipped.” Chiori huffed.

Hearing her complaints made you feel a sense of guilt, he had informed you that he would have everything handled, but you didn’t think he would be this demanding for such a boring event. You bow apologetically, “I offer my sincerest apologies for having you come all this way Ms. Chiori, I will be sure to reprimand the Duke for his lack of manners.”

“There’s no need.” She answered sharply. “You were a lovely lady–compared to the ones I’ve dealt with–and I would highly prefer an apology from the Duke himself.” She begins to pack her materials and equipment away in their designated case. “I’ll consider myself lucky that he provided me meals and lodging in the manor, if he hadn’t, then I cannot promise you that you’d be married.”

You chuckled nervously. “Well if there’s anything you need, I will be happy to accommodate you.”

“Thank you for the offer,” She said. “I think I’ll be fine, but I have to prepare for a future appointment with you.”

“Future appointment…?”

Chiori stopped what she was doing and looked up at you with a raised brow. “Did he not inform you of your engagement dress fitting? It’s after the lantern rite festival.”

“T-the engagement dress fitting–?” You managed to choke out. Why would he do that? This is all fake and shouldn’t last beyond three months!

You force out a smile. “It seems like his Grace has failed to inform me of such an appointment. Probably meant as a surprise hehe…”

“That’s pretty out of character of his Grace.” Xiangling mused as she brought your change of clothing. “For him to keep such a big thing a secret, he must really love you my lady!”

“You may… be right Xiangling.” You replied awkwardly. “How thoughtful of him.”

“Quite,” Chiori replied, uninterested in your romance. “Now I will excuse myself, I need to begin the design of your dress to be finished after the festival.” She finished her packing and quickly left the room to work on the project that is now no longer a secret to your ears.

“How does it taste, my lady?” Xiangling inquired, curious to hear about your opinion on her latest creation.

“It’s…” The flavors complimented each other well, you’re quite surprised she was able to recreate this dish just from word of mouth. “Tasteful. The meat is soft, not tough, and it melts in my mouth without too much effort compared to other meat that is too chewy and requires too much effort just to swallow. I’m impressed!”

Xiangling cheers happily and quickly offered the same meat but with a new addition. “Please try this one too! I added jueyun chilies to give it that extra spice. But,” She retracted the plate. “If you don’t like spicy food then I made one with honey.”

Your eyes gleamed with anticipation. “Oh I just love spicy food! There was a time as a child when I had to be banned from the kitchen because I was obsessed with spicy food to the point I got sick. I gave my parents quite the scare since my body temperature, according to them, was burning hot like Natlan’s lava.”

“Oh,” Xiangling spoke, now hesitant to offer the spicy meat. “Then maybe it would be best if–”

“No, no, no!” You gently take the plate from her hands. “I know my limits, I swear! Besides, it’s just one bite, it won’t kill me hehe.”

Before you could take a bite, Chongyun entered the kitchen and tensed when his eyes landed on you and Xiangling. “My lady, so this is where you’ve been.”

You place the plate down when Chongyun approaches you. “Oh, Sir Chongyun. Is something the matter?”

From the way his eyes seemed to avoid yours, there was something clearly causing him distress. He took in a breath, preparing himself for what he had to do. “There’s a… guest here to see you, my lady.”

You raise a brow. “A guest? I don’t recall any visits planned for today, or this week for that matter.”

“Ah well, you see…” He rubbed his neck anxiously, a nervous habit of his. “Marchioness Xianyun is here and…”

“Marchioness Xianyun!?” Xiangling screeched. At least you didn’t have to do it so you’re secretly thankful for her outburst.

Chongyun sends a sharp glare to Xiangling before resuming. “Yes, and she wants…no, demands to see you.”

“A-and the Duke? Can’t he see her instead?”

He smiled sadly. “His Grace is busy at the Castle today with other nobles, overseeing the plans for security for the festival.”

“Well then,” You flatten the non-existent creases of your dress and stand up. “I suppose I have to attend to her needs, lead the way Sir Chongun.”

“How dare that man leave his poor fiancée alone in this manor! I mean seriously, can’t some other noble oversee the security measures? The nerve of that uneducated swine.”

Well, this was not what you were anticipating. Rumors regarding the Marchioness range from an unhinged woman to a scheming tyrant who would not hesitate to make lives miserable if they dared to offend her. The moment you greeted her without the Duke, she went on a rant about how unkind and disrespectful he is for leaving you alone and not spending time with you as he should.

The Marchioness sighed heavily, almost disappointed but not surprised by his actions. “I feel sorry for you young one.” She closed her fan harshly and gave you a pointed look. “Why did you choose him of all eligible bachelors in Liyue? Darling, you could do so much better than him.”

You chuckle nervously, unsure how to answer that question since this all stems from the contract. The two of you never really sat down to come up with a cover story if anyone were to question the sudden union.

“Madam Xianyun, thank you for your concern but… what is the purpose of your visit?”

She gasped, opening her fan again to cover her lower face, and began to fan herself aggressively. “Oh heavens! I forgot as to why I came here.” She looks over to Chongyun, who looks very tense of her presence. “You there, bring me my suitcase at once.”

His shoulder falls and he withholds an obvious sigh. “Yes, Madam Xianyun…”

She returns her gaze to you. “Do you like machines?”

“Machines…?”

“Yes, machines.” She repeated. Chongyun returns with a big suitcase and places it next to Marchioness Xianyun. She grabs the suitcase, drops it on top of the table, and opens it to reveal a miniature object with wings and gently takes it out. “I’ve been working on this thing for months and I can’t seem to understand its function.”

She opens a hatchet placed at the bottom and takes out a jade crystal. “This is just a small sample, but this jade enables this thing to fly in the sky, you know, like the one used by the ministry. That big building the Tianquan made.”

You take interest in the model, it slightly reminds you of airships from your world. Though those models ceased to exist in your time, they were still presented in museums. “Do you want it to fly?”

“Yes!” She answered enthusiastically. “But with this sample product, it is not lasting long up in the sky and I’m unsure of the issue.” She offers you to hold the miniature build, “I was hoping to hear a different perspective but whenever I approach everyone they seem to quickly scatter, hmph, the nerve of some people.”

‘It seems like she isn’t aware of her reputation.’

You hold onto the figure carefully, rotating it to get a full idea of its structure. “So will the jade be inside this?”

She nods. “Yes, the idea was to keep it safe and inside this figure but it’s not performing up to what I had anticipated.”

It made sense to protect the jade from exposure if anyone were to attack it. You hummed thoughtfully, deep in thought. If the Marchioness were to get this right, this land would be introduced to the idea of aerial transportation. The only good reference to a flying object was…

“The Jade Chamber…”

“I’m sorry?”

You didn’t realize you said that out loud. You cleared your throat in an attempt to sweep that under the rug. “Maybe you should place the jade outside this figure like the Jade Chamber.”

She raised a brow. “But it would be exposed to anyone who wants to strike it down.”

“Then…,” there was truth in her words, it would be bad if left exposed. You look around to find any form of reference. Your eyes land on a nearby banner with the Geo sigil crafted in the center and it hits you. “You could use geo constructs or a hard case protecting the jade. That way, it should effectively help this figure to remain afloat and steer it and the case will protect the jade!”

“Interesting…” She mumbled quietly. The Marchioness remains quiet momentarily before grabbing a pencil and scroll from the suitcase–likely a blueprint–and quickly adding in your recommendations. She examines the adjustments made and flips it to show you. “Like this?”

The new adjustments showed a set of four large jades–two on each side of the design–and they were protected by a rough case design.

“Yes, just like that!” You replied happily. “And if you’re worried about designs for the case, then you could engrave your family emblem on it. It would show everyone that once again, the Marchioness has created a new effective system! It would be the talk of the century!”

She glanced back at the blueprint design and shook her head. “No, I’ll engrave yours but should I use the Duchy emblem or the Count?”

“But there’s no need–”

“No.” She intercepted curtly. “Absolutely not, you helped me and therefore I will credit where credit is due.”

You shrink down onto the sofa in defeat. “Yes, madam…”

‘She is so feisty.’

Somehow, whatever powers of the universe that took pity on you, managed to convince the Marchioness to hold off finalizing the case design until you get ‘married’ since you’re just a fiancee. In reality, you already knew that the marriage wouldn’t happen and in the end, the final design may end up being your family house emblem and not the Duchy.

Talking with the esteemed Marchioness was a roller coaster of emotions. In the novel, it was written how she despised the heroine–Princess Lumine–because she did not believe in revering the Kings of Teyvat. The conflict was eventually resolved, but it was more so the Marchioness tolerating the Princess because by that time she had become engaged to the Duke. The relationship between the Duke and Marchioness was also quite strange, they got along for their beliefs towards the King, but after his engagement to the Princess, it went south–not like they were that friendly towards each other anyway, but enough to have each other's back.

The Marchioness sighed and stopped in her tracks, turning around with a small smile. “I must say, I had a pleasant time conversing with you today.” She outstretched her hand over to you, an offering for an amicable relationship. “I would be honored to spend more time with you.”

This action has taken you aback but you take her hand nonetheless. “It was an honor being in your presence madam!” You sputtered. “I would be happy to host for you again in the future, with sufficient time to prepare that is.”

She chuckled softly, amused by your honesty. “I’ll be sure to send word next time.” She lets go of your hand and reaches upward to pat your head gently, coddling you like a child. “You remind me of my daughters, I should arrange for the two of you to meet and–”

“That will not be necessary.” A stern voice said.

The Marchioness did not hide the way her face contorted into disappointment. She stepped aside to face the man of the hour. “Look who finally decided to come back home. Finally remembered you had a beloved fiancée waiting for you?”

Xiao sighed, not really happy to deal with her shenanigans. “I came here after word got to me that you were here again unannounced. I’ve told you several times–”

“To never come unannounced yes, yes.” She drawled, continuing to pat your head. “You should be more like her, at least she handled the situation better than you ever would.”

If someone were to take a closer look at his expression, they would see the faint twitch of his brows. In all the years he has known the Marchioness, he does not like how comfortable she has gotten with you. The way you’re fine with her patting and being near you made him feel… jealous.

“Unhand my fiancée.” He commanded.

“Oh?” The change in his tone surprised her, to say the least. To her, it was obvious he was not happy with how close the two had gotten just in a few hours. She smiled deviously and did not let up, instead, she placed her free hand around your shoulder and leaned in closer. “Why? Your fiancee does not seem to be upset by my actions, right darling?”

The shift in the atmosphere was making you uncomfortable. It feels like being in a fight between children who are testing each other’s boundaries. Her actions, truthfully, did not make you uncomfortable, but it was obvious she was doing this to get under his skin.

“No, but–”

“See?” She exclaimed proudly, running her fingers through your hair–which was very comfortable, you had to admit. “She’s perfectly fine with me near her.”

His facade of indifference slips, revealing a dark glare telling the Marchioness to cease her actions or else there would be consequences. She takes note of this behavior and huffs, deciding to pinch your cheeks softly to show how much she has grown to care for you in such a short period of time.

“If you ever decide to leave him, my doors are always open.” She said, loud enough for the three of you to hear.

Xiao walks forward to be by your side while Marchioness Xianyun finally takes her leave, opening her fan to cover her lower face to hide her triumphant smirk. “See you all tonight.”

In contrast to your partner, you were looking forward to meeting her again at the ball. At least you made a friend and wouldn’t have to be alone in the suffocating presence of the Duke.

Your room bustled with life as Leticia and Ying’er were arguing about what would best suit your features. It was quite annoying, the event itself wasn’t that important to you, but for the sake of being the perfect ‘fiancée’ you held your tongue.

Mentally speaking, you were throwing a tantrum with unnecessary attention to detail. Was it really that big of a deal? If anything it was probably a bad idea considering the Prince and Princess of Khaenri’ah were making their appearance tonight; can’t outshine the main characters after all.

“No, no,” Leticia insisted. “These pearl earrings would suit her best, they complement the dress and it’s a classic piece of jewelry.”

Ying’er–the stylist hired by the Duke–nodded, understanding her vision. “Very well, then we will just have to move all this hair out of the way to let the pearls shine.”

“Great thinking!”

‘Oh almighty Celestia, end my suffering.’

They quickly set out to work, and while you are thankful the argument is over, you aren’t looking forward to the attention you will be receiving. Having read too many manhwa’s back in your time, you already knew the torment this would begin to cause. But hey, on the bright side, it’s only for three months!

“And we are done,” Leticia announced.

She gently grabs your shoulders to turn you around and face the long mirror set behind you.

‘Oh.’

Even after two decades, you can’t seem to get used to the fact that you were indeed blessed with beauty in this life. It wasn’t like you were ugly in the former life, more on the average side but maybe it’s because you are much happier here than in the previous life.

“Not even gods could ever compare to your beauty,” Leticia said proudly. “Truly my pride and joy!”

You roll your eyes in amusement. “Oh please, you sound like my mother.”

“But Leticia speaks the truth, my lady.” Ying’er chimed in. She twirled her braid in amusement. “You shall be envied by all ladies of society.”

“I don’t think that’s a good thing…”

The two women giggled and made their final adjustments, Ying’er providing a personalized scent made from cecilia flowers in Mondstat; something about being unbound by the rules of society.

Leticia grabbed your electro vision from the vanity table and pinned it on over your left chest. “And the last piece makes the set complete.”

Ying’er offered her hand for you to hold as a support for you to stand up and follow her lead. “The Duke will be stunned by your beauty,” She said for the millionth time. “Let’s see how long he can keep his hands away from you~.”

You chuckle awkwardly, if only you could share the real truth. Unfortunately, for your parents and your safety, it was best to keep this contract a secret. If the Fatui found out, they could easily use it as leverage against you since the relationship is real. Life sucks…

Careful to not trip over the new dress, you make your way to the entrance of the manor and meet the Duke. The ladies had to stay behind and clean up the mess made in your room which did little to ease the anxiety eating up inside of you.

Reaching the main entrance, it was just a few more steps before you reached him. Your eyes land on Chongyun, whose hair is carefully brushed back and wearing a beautiful creme-colored suit with some baby blue accents. He was speaking with the Duke before he noticed your presence and turned, his cheeks dusted a light pink once he saw the full display.

The Duke in turn mimicked his actions. It was difficult to determine his expression since he always schooled the cold look of indifference, it was probably because you were far away and slowly making your way towards him. As you slowly made your way down, it was difficult to ignore their stares; it didn't help that they didn’t even greet you, maybe you do look bad?

As you approach the two, you fidget with your gloves nervously, “Do I look unpresentable?” You ask hesitantly.

Chongyun was the first to speak, “N-no, my lady! You look stunning!” He sputtered.

He opened his mouth to continue his praise but was met with a sharp glare from his master which he understood as a sign to shut his mouth. He then cleared his throat, amber eyes trained on your figure, now that you were up close it was clear that his usual cold eyes were soft in silent admiration.

With gentle care, as if you were to break by his touch, he grabbed your right gloved hand and brought it to his lips. “You’re absolutely gorgeous.” He murmured softly before planting a kiss.

Your heart fluttered by his praise, beating at an abnormal rate you were unfamiliar with. Heat rushed to your cheeks, coloring them a rosy red. You avert your eyes away from him, too shy to even look at him after that intimate gesture.

‘It’s just for show Y/N, don’t take it personally.’

The carriage ride was painfully quiet. A Fatui agent could slice it with its blade. You took an interest in gazing upon the scenery as the carriage made its way to the castle.

‘I wonder if things will go off course from here.’

The idea of your plan going south because of the destined meeting. It’s supposed to happen tonight, but will it? Your interference has already altered your fate, even for a limited time, but would that interference affect the Duke’s fate?

You won’t deny him happiness if he finds it with the Princess, the main issue at hand is not being sold off and potentially dying at the hands of the Regrator. His background is a mystery, not much is even revealed about him in the story since well, he wasn’t the antagonist; his colleagues briefly mentioned him, but nothing of significance was revealed besides he was filthy rich and managed the Kingdom of Snezhaya’s finances… scary.

By terrible luck, you just had to be an insignificant character whose fate will end with him. Your bad luck from your last life must have wiggled its way somehow in this one but whatever, as long as you have the Duke maybe he will lose interest, right?

But if fate decides to be cruel… you unconsciously reach to fiddle with the pearl earring in your left ear.

‘I don’t want to die…’

Your body shivered at the thought. The small things you remembered from your last life were that the possibility of something was never zero; anything can happen, and it’s all fair game.

The Duke noticed your actions, curious if you were uncomfortable with the jewelry or with him. “Are you alright?” He asked softly, very surprising since he rarely holds that tone for anyone unless it's the King.

“I-I’m fine.” You quickly mumbled. “This event will be our first as a… couple.”

He leans back, from now much more relaxed hearing your answer. The carriage crosses the gate, the time is almost near.

“Xiao.”

“Hmm?”

“Refer to me by my name, Xiao.” He repeated. “I’m sure the people would find it curious that we address each other with such formality.”

Realization dawns upon you. “Oh, of course. In that case, that should go for me as well.”

The carriage finally reaches a pause, and the coachman’s voice could be heard reigning the horses to a stop. Once Xiao determined it was at a full stop, he swiftly opened the door and wasted no time stepping out and outstretching his arm out for you to take.

The sight of him, offering his hand to you is still a gesture you're not used to; your heart betrays you and skips a beat at such a simple gesture of formality between ‘couples’. If only…

You reach out, delicate fingers accepting his hand. His hands were rough, yet gentle when yours meet his; it felt warm, nice to have his hand against yours.

‘This is going to be a long night.’

The ballroom was decorated with beautiful silks and with the best cutlery fitted for King’s. All attendants were dressed to impress, never failing to upstage others save for those who prefer to remain simple and hidden away from the gossip mongers.

It wasn’t your first lantern rite ball, it’s first in the sense that you’re now ‘engaged’ and naturally all single noble women would be staring daggers your way while simultaneously whispering how the esteemed Duke could ever fall for the humble Count’s daughter.

This brings flashbacks to some miserable family gatherings in your old life but this time is different, even if bound by contract, at least Xiao had your back for he is a man of his word. Many nobles came forward, congratulating both of you for your engagement and asking general questions about your love life and anticipation about the wedding.

Xiao, bless his heart, someone managed to keep them all informed yet kept the details as vague as possible. If it were you, you’d just be flustered and hope they would cease the conversation.

While amid a conversation, you excuse yourself since the conversation steered into business and politics and frankly, you hate those topics so you opt to leave and converse with any willing participant. However, either society really hated you or you somehow have the ability to dodge people who have a genuine interest in conversing with you because there was no one approaching you, and if you share a look of interest towards a group–mainly ladies–the scowl behind the fans and you take it as a sign to not even bother.

Taking comfort near the walls of the ball reminded you of the day you initially struck the offer to Xiao. Remembering your slip up embarrasses you, the memory not at all pleasing, but at the very least that is how this story began. As a servant quickly passes by with a tray of champagne and as if second nature, you pluck one flute and gently sway the glass to swirl the contents.

‘I’m probably an alcoholic with the way I grab these glasses without fail every time.’

As you bring the champagne flute to your lips and take a sip, a lady dressed in a dark blue dress with light blue hair and soft magenta eyes approaches you. She had lovely red hair accessories keeping her small bun up, and wearing gold jewelry that complemented the dark blue dress.

“Are you lady Y/N by chance?” She inquired, her voice soft and sweet like honey.

You offer her a small smile. “That would be me, yes. May I have the privilege of knowing your name?”

Her face lit up knowing you were the person she was looking for. She does a quick curtsy, “My name is Ganyu. I’m from House Aozang, charmed to make your acquaintance.”

‘House Aozang? Where have I heard of that name…?’

You mimic her actions, only using one hand to lift one side of the dress while balancing the champagne flute with the other. “Greetings lady Ganyu, I’m from House Qingce.”

She grabs your hand, clearly very excited for reasons you don’t know. “The Marchioness has spoken highly of you today! It is so great to finally meet you in person tonight.”

“The Marchioness has… spoken about me?”

Ganyu nodded happily. “Oh yes! It was only brief however since we had to prepare for the ball.”

“Oh, that’s…” Wait a minute. “You’re her daughter?!”

Her smile faltered, a little taken aback by your response. “Yes?”

“Forgive me for my ignorance, I have failed to recognize you properly my lady!”

‘What is she doing here!? Wait no, why is she talking to me?!’

Ganyu quickly reassures you, “There’s no need to apologize. I should’ve made our relationship a little more obvious.” She pats her hand softly. “If anything, I should apologize on her behalf for her sudden visit today at the Duchy… she tends to do that often despite our pleas.”

“Our?”

“Oh, yes. You see–”

“Ganyu.” A cold voice, that could freeze a vibrant chatter abruptly spoke. A tall woman–just a little taller than Ganyu–with straight silver hair tied in a braid, wearing a long and beautiful black dress with shades of gray that hugged her figure in the right places joined her side. Her piercing blue eyes landed on your tense figure, narrowing at the sight of someone unfamiliar.

Ganyu gently placed her hand on her shoulder and smiled. “Perfect timing, lady Y/N, this is Shenhe. I suppose you could say she is the second daughter of the Marchioness.”

“Second daughter?” She queried.

Ganyu chuckled at her puzzled expression. “I was also confused Shenhe, but it seems like Madam Xianyun is going around telling the world we are her daughters which isn’t technically wrong.”

Shenhe crossed her arms, unamused by the antics of her master. “Considering she dotes on us like children I shouldn’t be surprised.”

The conversation was pleasant, Shenhe may have had her reservations at first, but she seemed to have relaxed knowing that you’re not like the other women of society. The three of you can all agree that women can be intimidating, especially those whose will would never waiver no matter how dire the situation; the desperate type of women.

Something from the corner of her eyes caught Shenhe’s attention–her face grimaced at the distasteful sight a few feet away. “Fatui Harbingers…” she mumbled.

Her mention of the Harbingers reached yours and Ganyu’s ears, curiosity forcing the two of you to shift your attention to where she was looking and sure enough… there they were: The Fair Maiden and Childe.

“What are they doing here?” Ganyu whispered, her voice trembling.

‘Should’ve seen that coming after their failure.’

“Shall we move to a balcony?” You offered, secretly hoping they said yes because staying was not an option.

Shenhe nods. “Yes, let’s.”

Thank Celestia there was an open balcony available, luckily, it had a great view of the Palace gardens. The glaze lilies, as usual, were in full bloom under the full moon. Their blue petals shine under the light to reveal their delicate buds, for once, you’re content with seeing these flowers from such vantage points.

Ganyu sighed, relishing the sight. “It’s such a privilege to see such beautiful flowers of the Palace garden bloom tonight. It’s very hard to find such delicacies in the wild.”

“Do you think that master will finally get the secret from the King?” Shenhe inquired.

Ganyu chuckled. “Probably not tonight, or ever for that matter.”

You raise a brow, curious of the interests the Marchioness partakes in. “What do you mean?”

Shenhe steps forward, reaching the end of the balcony and resting her arms on the stone railings. “The Marchioness is a woman of ambition. Whatever piques her interest, it will be hers no matter how impossible the task may be.”

“Is it really that difficult to grow glaze lilies?”

“Surprisingly it is,” Ganyu answered. “The Marchioness has spent a decade trying to cultivate the flower but no matter how hard she tried, they would bloom and then wilt the next day. It’s a bit strange that the Palace has been able to maintain their livelihood for so long.”

Shenhe looks down from the balcony, she raises a curious brow at the sight. “What’s he up to?”

Your curious nature will always get the best of you, and you couldn’t help but join her side to get a peek of the odd situation. Your eyes land on Xiao, who was walking about in the garden; he wasn’t exactly enjoying the scenery, his actions imply that he was searching for someone with the way he slowly scanned the area.

Ganyu was the last to join in. “Oh, it’s Duke Alatus.”

Sensing curious eyes on his figure, he turned around and looked up, scanning the three before locking eyes with you. His sharp gaze made you flinch, but realizing there were others, you offered a small smile. His expression softens, relieved to find that you were in the company of trusted people he knew. Without wasting any more time, he leaves the garden, to which you can only assume was to regroup with you.

“My, oh my, what are three lovely ladies doing out here?”

The cheery voice took all of you by surprise. You and Ganyu quickly turn around while Shenhe only turns her head and scowls at the uninvited intruder. The sight made your blood cold.

His orange hair combed back neatly, with a few strands spilling over his head. His gray coat draped over his shoulder with red design fit his body like a model, his gray vest not too loose or tight. And lastly, his signature smile that somehow seems to captivate the hearts of many women but they all fail to see his deep ocean blue eyes that resemble the deep depths of the ocean floor, no light of sincerity in sight.

He chuckled at the sight. “No need to be shy, I don’t bite.”

You grip onto your champagne flute tightly, just being near his vicinity was nerve wracking, but talking to him? Suffocating.

Shenhe noticed your discomfort towards the presence of the ginger and finally turned around. “We’re just about to take our leave, the balcony is all yours.”

His eyes widen, surprised by the denial but replaces it with his smile. “Now, now, would it hurt to chatter just for a bit? The main event isn’t set to start for a few more minutes.”

“All the more reason we should leave, we have someone we must meet,” Shenhe replied, a hint of anger in her tone.

Ganyu shifted uncomfortably between the tense exchange while you kept your head down, swaying the champagne flute.

He sighed, running a gloved hand over his hair, clearly not liking the odds of this conversation being civil. “Forgive me for making you all feel uncomfortable with my presence, I was just looking for some amicable chatter amongst the ladies.”

“Forgive us for our lack of interest,” Shenhe replied sarcastically. She gently coaxed you and Ganyu to follow her lead out. “Now please excuse us.”

After finding a secure corner inside the ballroom once more, you finally heave a sigh of relief that you didn’t realize you were holding. Shenhe made sure that Ganyu was ok since the poor woman seemed to still be shaking just a little by the encounter; you couldn’t blame her, anyone who had a drop of common sense would know to not mess with a Harbinger, no matter how handsome or beautiful they are.

‘Shenhe is such a life saver.’

“Y/N.” A voice called out.

You turn to the source and see Xiao make his way over. You smile, relieved to have found him and maybe now you would feel safe.

He turns to see Shenhe comforting Ganyu and then looks back to you. He noticed how you seem a little startled yourself. “Is everything all right?” He asked, reaching out to cup your right cheek, “You look unwell.”

Your breath hitches, everything has been going too fast already in just one night!

“E-everything is fine.” You mumbled, moving away from his touch.

He realized his actions and quickly retracted his hand away from your cheek, his hand suddenly feeling empty. Xiao cleared his throat while reaching out to readjust his tie, “I’ve been looking for you for a while, I’m glad to see you’ve found some company.” He said, sending a nod to Shenhe and Ganyu.

“Lady Y/N is a great companion, you’re very lucky to have her,” Shenhe remarked.

He wrapped an arm over your waist, bringing you a little closer to his side. “I’m aware, she has brought some life to the manor.”

Heat crept up to your cheeks and you moved your head away from their eyes. Your heart beating at an elevated rate again, you mentally curse yourself for being swayed by the simple gestures.

And just like fate would have it, the King–Morax–finally made his grand entrance. Everyone ceased their activities to focus their attention towards their beloved ruler and offer him a bow of reverence.

“It is with great honor that we are all here today, celebrating another lantern rite ball, wishing Liyue and its people a year of peace and prosperity.” He spoke, his voice gentle yet firm. The King smiled and took a step aside. “I would like to personally announce the arrival of the royals of Khaenri’ah, Crown Prince Aether and Princess Lumine.”

‘And she’s finally here.’

The twins stepped forward, Prince Aether holding the hand of his sister. Prince Aether had a blue suit with his long hair tied in a braid while his sister wore a bright blue dress with gold designs embroidered in the dress. The two had emblems secured over their right chest, the insignia of their Kingdom which was a beautiful flower design that is native to their land.

‘Wait a minute…’

You take a peek at Xiao, his eyes focused on the main characters but not out of interest. He seemed to have caught you staring and shifted his focus to lock eyes with you. “Is something wrong?”

“A-ah no! Just curious to know if you’ve met them yet?” You asked flustered, fiddling with the champagne flute in your hand.

Xiao shook his head. “No, not yet. The King has informed me that they would be staying for a few days to enjoy the lantern rite festival.”

“Oh? Ah yes, speaking of the festival,” A servant passed by and you quickly took the opportunity to get rid of the darn champagne flute since you weren’t going to finish it anytime soon before continuing. “Will you be attending?”

“No I don’t believe so. I have a pile of work waiting for me at the manor.”

‘What a bummer– wait what?’

“That is unfortunate.” You replied. Why did you even ask? It would be better to limit future contact.

Xiao hummed, going back to focus on the royals in attendance. “Will you be going?”

You nodded, you’ve always gone to every festival so there should be no reason to not go. “Yes, I’ve attended all the festivals since the day of my birth. My parents always loved going and it sort of became a tradition, the festival is where my parents met and fell in love.”

Why did you add that information? It’s not like he would consider–

“Then I’ll go too.”

‘Huh?’

“I’m sorry?”

“If you’re going then I’m going too.” He repeated.

You smile nervously. “Y-you don’t have to, I’ve gone with Leticia plenty of times–”

“I insist.”

There was no use in fighting this losing battle. “Fine…”

The corner of his lips tugged upwards slightly, he grabbed your hand and led you towards the empty dance floor. Typically, the dance begins after the King has made his entrance, but why was he leading you there when the King has yet to finish.

“In honor of their visit,” The King resumed. “Duke Alatus and his fiancée–lady Y/N–will give us the opening dance.”

‘I never agreed to this!’

Your eyes lock with Xiao, clearly taken by surprise by this agreement. Regardless, to not embarrass yourself, you place one hand on his shoulder and grab his free hand as he places the other on your waist.

“Just follow my lead.” He whispered.

The ensemble begins their performance, an upbeat and gentle tune reverberates the hall, bringing in a new sense of joy to the guests.

The dance itself is pretty simple, it was nothing too complicated–it was just painfully awkward because it was clearly a romantic song. Of all the music sheets they could’ve performed, and it had to be a romance one.

“You never mentioned we would be the opening dance,” You seethe through a forced smile. “I would’ve appreciated being informed about this.”

“I was informed of this last minute myself.” He replied calmly.

“Still it would’ve been nice to be in the loop of things.”

He smiles before leading you to a twirl and bringing you back to his embrace. “Well, my beloved fiancee ran off somewhere when I did try to inform her.”

“I didn’t run away,” You answer back, hiding your annoyance with your smile. “I was looking for a place to breathe from this suffocating ball.”

“Still constitutes as running away.”

‘This guy–’

In an attempt to use your actions instead of words, you try to purposely step on his foot, but quickly lead you into a dip, which caught you by surprise. With practiced expertise, he brings you back to your footing and continues to lead the dance.

“That wasn’t part of the choreography?!”

Xiao hummed, feigning innocence. “It wasn’t? How peculiar, I don’t recall stepping on your partner's foot is also part of it.”

“You’re just like Xingqiu, a two-faced man.”

“I have no clue as to what you mean.”

After much time has passed, the dance has reached its end. The people begin to clap, enamored by the beautiful dance showcase between a blossoming couple. The two of you bow before leaving the dance floor as it begins to be flooded with partners who were just eager to dance the night away.

As for you, your eyes scanned for lady Ganyu and lady Shenhe to see if they would still be interested in conversing more since the other ladies have shown their disinterest in you; Xiao was once again–to his dismay–swarmed by men who were interested about his relationship with you and teasing him for finally being ‘whipped’.

The familiar sigh of light blue hair brought a sense of relief over you. Without second thought, you made your way over but were stopped by a strong hand, anchoring you to your current position.

You turn around, body facing the culprit and your eyes widen in shock. He smiled, raised your hand over his lips, “So you’re the Duke’s fiancée? It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” He said, bring your hand closer to his lips, but you yank it away, refusing to have him touch you.

His eyes widen in surprise but he collects himself before fixing his posture. “Apologies, where are my manners.” He right gloved hand hovers over his left chest, “My name is Childe, forgive me for my crude actions just now, my lady.”

To the common person, his apology seems sincere, but you’re not the common person. There was a chapter in the novel that described his gruesome childhood and the man before you is anything but sane. He is a Harbinger for a reason, yet it’s surprising how everyone seems to believe that his kind and cheerful personality is genuine and that he would never hurt someone. And well, they’re right, if you aren’t meddling with their activities.

Tragically, you’re fate was tied to one Harbinger and you went ahead and ruined a mission for two. He won’t let this opportunity slip through his fingers now that your fiancé is no longer by your side to keep guard.

Childe shifted his gaze towards a nearby balcony, tilting his head towards that direction. “Would you be so kind as to–”

“To what?” A voice interjected.

The ginger tensed at the sight of the Duke coming to your side, his hand resting once more on your waist. “Is there a problem here, Harbinger?”

‘Is this what plot armor feels like?’

You relaxed under his presence, allowing him to bring your body closer to his as you mentally note to thank him later.

A laugh escapes Childe’s lips, he found the situation quite amusing. “Oh, no, no your Grace! I was just… conversing with your lovely fiancée and took the opportunity to introduce myself.”

The lie was too obvious and his grip on your waist tightened just a little. “I see, unfortunately, I must cut this conversation short for my fiancee seems to be a little tuckered out for the night.”

You nod, offering a tired apologetic smile. “Yes, I’m quite spent. Maybe there will be an opportunity to converse another time.”

‘I hope to never see your sorry ginger self ever again.’

“I understand,” He replied. Instead of walking away like any normal person, he reached out for your hand once more but you’re quite fed up by his actions.

You grab his wrist, holding it tightly to prevent him from probing any further. “Sir Childe, I believe you understand to respect a lady’s personal space, yes?” You inquired, masking your irritation behind an innocent question.

You let go of his hand, allowing him to retract it. He smiled, something behind it made a chill run down your spine. “Apologies once more, my lady. Rest well.”

Xiao scowled and led you away from Childe, his grip on your waist more firm. You’ve never seen him this upset; it’s probably because he hates the Fatui Harbingers and the same person that tried to steal his rulers gnosis is still walking freely as if he never tried to steal from the Kingdom since his arrival.

Once outside, he calls for the Duchy carriage and guides you inside. You close your eyes and sigh heavily, leaning against the plush seat to comfort your tired body.

“I’m sorry.”

Hearing his apology was confusing. You open your eyes to meet his amber gaze that were already looking at you. His arms rested on his lap, positioned upwards to prop his head comfortably. He looked troubled by the events that unraveled.

“There’s no need for an apology, your Grace.”

His brows furrowed, a confused expression painted his face. “I told you to just call me Xiao.”

“Oh, was it not limited to public events?”

He took a moment to process your question, choosing his words carefully. “We’re in a contractual marriage, I believe it would be appropriate to address ourselves by our names regardless if we’re in the public eye or not.”

The shift in tone when he uttered ‘contractual marriage’ seemed to be forced, as if he did not want to acknowledge that word in a sentence.

You shake your head, “Alright fine, but why are you apologizing for? You did nothing wrong.”

Xiao sighed, looking down towards the floor. “I failed to prevent the Harbingers from getting near you. I did not want to come tonight but if we hid away from public eye from such an important event people would begin to spread rumors and…” He finally looked back up to your eyes. “I did not want that to impact your standing in society.”

‘Standing? What standing? I like to remain hidden.’

Now it was your turn to sigh, “You didn’t have to worry for me. I already knew the duties that I would be required to perform in this contract. It is unfortunate being harassed by a Harbinger but at least you still came to my rescue hehe.”

“Besides, I don’t really have a standing in society to begin with. So you were worried for nothing.”

He shook his head in disbelief at your dismissive behavior. “Well now you do as my fiancee.”

“Enough about me,” You say, changing the subject to more important matters. “Are you scheduled to meet with the twins any time soon?”

Xiao raised a brow. “No? Are you interested in meeting them? I can have that arranged–”

“No, no! I just assumed the King would have you host them during their stay.”

“I’m sure the King will cater to their needs during this time. They’ll only be here during the duration of the festival.

‘But that means they won’t meet…’

Oddly enough, the thought of the two never meeting brought a sense of relief. You’re not sure why, it makes you feel selfish… guilty for preventing their destined romance to take place.

‘If they meet… would he abandon me?’

“Your Gra– I mean, Xiao,” You start. Curiosity is eating away at you, but you need to reassure yourself. “What are your thoughts on the Princess? She’s very beautiful.”

He eyed you up and down, scanning to catch anything that would be the reason to ask such a question. “She’s ok I suppose.”

“Just ok?” You asked in disbelief. “But she’s so pretty! If she’s ok then I suppose I’m–”

“Beautiful.” He finished.

‘What?’

“You’re beautiful.” He repeated.

Your cheeks blush a deep red, your expression stunned by his words that rendered you speechless.

Xiao straightened up his back, his expression serious now. “I’ve been meaning to discuss this during an appropriate time,” he reaches out and grabs your right hand. “I want to extend our contract.”

“I’m finally home!” Childe boomed enthusiastically.

He strides forward to the main entrance, carelessly throwing his tailored coat on a sofa nearby and plops down on it, propping his boots on top of the table in front and throwing his arms behind his head.

“Signora!” He calls out loudly. “I’ve got some juicy gossip to share!”

The sound of a door clicking open then closing could be heard all over the small villa. Light footsteps making their way to Childe slowly. He hums playfully to pass the time as he awaits for his colleague to make her entrance.

A tall woman with long blonde hair emerges. She was holding a glass of wine, her expression sour as it seems like her peace had been ruined by the childish man before her.

She readjusted her nightgown, making sure it didn’t slip for the umpteenth time. “It better be good or else I burn you to a crisp.”

He rolled his eyes and groaned, “Just come down here and sit.”

“No.”

“Ok fine,” Childe straightens his posture and removes his boots from the table. “I finally got a good look at her.”

Signora narrowed her eyes, “And?”

“And? Are you not interested in how she looks?” He asked in disbelief. “It would be useful in the future–”

“I already know how she looks like.” She intercepted, taking a sip out of her glass before continuing. “I honestly do not understand how the Duke would find interest in that wench.”

Childe winces at the harsh choice in wording. “Ouch, you’re not pulling any punches.”

She ignores his comments and finally takes the steps to sit down across from him. “I’ve already made plans, I expect you to play your part well.”

He raised a brow, curious about what she had in store, considering she hates him with all her being. “Oh? Am I an important key figure?”

“No, you’ll see soon.” She answered, taking another sip from her glass. “We will not be made out as fools, and there will be hell to pay for her meddling.”

To be added to the taglist please leave a comment down below [or any ‘more than a contact’ posts] or in my inbox, thank you 🫶🏼

#genshin impact #genshin fanfic #genshin x reader

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peculiarinsomniac · 13 days ago

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More Than a Contract

Summary: Your life was cut short, ready to accept your tragic fate you suddenly wake up as the daughter of a Count. Oh, this could be a chance to live life to the fullest! Finally, an opportunity to live life without breaking your back for a pitiful pay rate.

Will he lend a helping hand? Or will he think you’re a spy and have you executed? Hopefully not…

-> Part 2 here <-

-> [Masterlist] <-

It’s been two decades since you were born in this world and a decade since you became aware that you died in your previous life in the modern world. At least you were born into this world, unlike in other novels where the character possesses a story character and has an entire identity crisis throughout the story.

It was a stroke of luck, living a peaceful life as the only daughter of the count and not having to worry about much. Your parents were such doting figures, something you didn’t have in your previous life…but then they just had to strike a deal with the Fatui! A notorious organization that traps people in their debts and forces them to become their pawns once they can’t get out of the hole that was set up for them.

This was your last chance, if you can’t find him tonight then you’re doomed. Your parents are too good to you, they would rather die at the hands of the Fatui than sell you off to a Harbinger. A sweet sentiment but they seriously don’t have to!

You refuse to let them die over this and you sure as hell will ensure their safety at the cost of your own.

Tonight was the yearly celebration of Liyue’s prosperity and as per tradition, the King will be in attendance. But the King isn’t important, at least to you; if the King was here then Duke Alatus, his devoted follower will surely be in attendance. He always attends events when the King is present.

Alas, it has been hours and you have yet to catch even a glimpse of his figure. At this rate, the party will soon be over, and coming here would have all been for nothing!

Preparing for a no-show, you grab a champagne flute from the nearest server and make your way to the garden to enjoy a bit of freedom.

The chilly breeze envelopes your body, shivering slightly at the cold sensation. Walking through the garden, you admire the beautiful glaze lilies that are in full bloom under the moonlight while the red silk flowers adorn the bushes. If only they had qixing…

“Trespassers are not allowed to roam the castle grounds.”

The voice startles you, prompting you to turn around and confront the individual. You are met with a pair of eyes, staring daggers at you as if you are a threat. Your breath hitches at the sight of dark hair with streaks of teal, average in height but a strong slim build, and his signature amber eyes…the novel description did not do his appearance justice; no painting or kamera would ever deliver his perfect visage.

Oh, you’re staring.

You clear your throat to diffuse the situation. “Tonight is a day of celebration, as per tradition, the castle grounds are open for everyone. Surely you would be familiar with this custom, your grace.”

He eyes you intently at your expression, body language, and anything that could lead him to believe you are a threat but he concludes that you are harmless. He turns on his heel, ready to leave you alone, “I apologize for scaring you.”

‘No, he’s leaving!’

Before you could even process your words you blurt out. “Please marry me!”

The duke stops in his tracks but does not make any effort to turn around to fully look at you. It was for the better anyway, your face was bright red, and your eyes were fully wide as if they would pop out of their sockets. If someone were to walk by they would think you were insulted by the cold duke…

“A contractual marriage!” you corrected. It wasn’t a lie either. You weren’t looking for a genuine, romantic relationship with someone who is well-renowned as aloof and uncaring as him. He may be handsome, but he lacks the emotional awareness any woman would crave in a relationship.

He offers no answer and instead continues walking away.

‘He didn’t even bat an eye?! He’s rude!’

Time was ticking, moving without waiting for anyone’s objection. Just like now, the duke could not bother entertaining another delusional woman who coveted the status and wealth that came with marrying him. Unfortunately for him, you would not back down when an opportunity like this is in your grasp.

“There will be an attack,” He halts again, but now he is listening. “Three weeks from now, the Snezhnayan army will attack the borders of the Chasm to reap the resources!”

‘Please look at me…’ you beg internally.

He finally breaks the silence. “How can I take your words as truth?”

It only makes sense he doesn’t believe you. A woman in the castle garden alone at night, holding a champagne flute with alcohol and she claims of an impending attack? Yeah, you don’t blame him for doubting your words.

“Because,” you place your free hand over your chest. “I was blessed with prophetic visions!”

Right, a very sensible answer indeed…most definitely does not make you sound even more delusional…

“And if I’m wrong, you can throw me off the highest peaks of Gunyun Stone Forest.”

At long last, he turned around to meet your expression. As expected, he was emotionless as usual but that was not going to intimidate you; Hearing stories about the Regrator is far more intimidating to listen to than challenging an emotionless man.

Having heard enough, duke alatus turns around again and proceeds to walk away. “Expect a carriage in three weeks.”

‘Expect a carriage in three weeks…a carriage…in three weeks…three…’

Three weeks. Three agonizing weeks. His words echo in your mind relentlessly, a reminder that you will be saved or killed for your incompetence.

Peace was now an illusion, a feeling that had slipped through your fingers after you dared achieve the impossible…maybe you should’ve convinced your parents to move to the Kingdom of Fontaine, at least the law would be on your side if the Fatui decided to use unethical methods to ‘recover’ their financial losses.

‘He’s going to kill me…’ you mourned, maybe it wasn’t meant to be…

A gentle voice brings you back to reality. “My lady…”

You crane your neck to the direction of the voice and a petite lady with a sweet smile greets you, Leticia. She was your trusted maid and always managed your everyday needs, whether mending, cooking, washing, or caring for you when you fell ill (often).

“Leticia,” you fix your posture, straightening your back and focusing all your attention on her. “You didn’t knock today…?”

“I did.” She says as a matter-of-factly. “You were too busy, probably dreaming about the duke again, to not even notice my knocking. All five knocks mind you.”

“So you came to nag at me or is there something for me?”

Leticia huffs, crossing her arms with an amused expression. “I wouldn’t be nagging if I wasn’t ignored for the past few minutes but back to the topic at hand,” she gestures for you to follow her. “You have guests.”

Two gentlemen awaited you: one with cool light blue hair, resembling his cryo vision that hung on his waist. The other had deep blue hair tied down by a gold ribbon and was dressed in fancier material than the latter. He, too, had a vision, a hydro vision secured tightly on his vest.

That’s right, in this world, people who earn the gazes of their ruler are blessed with a ‘vision’. It is a symbol of power and acknowledgment from the seven royals of Teyvat.

Their visit was not anticipated, this had to be a bad omen. The design of their vision reflects their Liyuen origin but anyone could be working for the Fatui…surely…

“Greetings lady Y/n, our master sends his deepest apologies for not being able to be here in person. He is personally overseeing an interrogation about…a spy that was lingering about the Chasm borders.” The hydro vision wielded spoke.

“My name is Xingqui, I serve as one of the master’s retainers. And my friend beside me is Chongyun, he is one of the master's trusted knights.”

Oh, well at least they aren’t affiliated with the Fatui.

“O-oh, nice to meet you. I…wasn’t expecting a visit today…”

Xingqiu chuckled softly. “Please be at ease, we mean no harm. We are here to escort you to the duke’s mansion if you are willing.”

‘That sounds ominous!’

“I think that was a poor choice of words, Xingqui.”

Xingqui scoffs, offended by his partner's criticism. “I beg your pardon, I’m the one with the better thinking capacity between the two of us.”

“And yet your words rendered the lady speechless. She looks like she will faint any moment now.” Chongyun deadpanned.

“Now you’re speaking gibberish.”

“Right…”

“So I’m not going to die?”

The two men cease their bickering and focus on your… teary-eyed expression?

Chongyun was quick to speak. “Are you ok—?”

“Why would our master kill you?” Xingqui inquired.

“Xingqui!”

“I-it’s fine!” You reassured Chongyun as you reached out to hastily wipe away any tears that were about to fall. “These are happy tears! I’m relieved, elated!”

They weren’t quite sure how to process your display of emotions. Were you even mentally functional?

“So about that trip to the duke’s mansion?”

The silence in the room was too loud, ironically. Did he not have anything important to discuss with you? Weren’t you right about the possible attack? Well????

All he is doing is just scribbling away on some papers. If he was busy why couldn’t he have rescheduled for a time when he was available?!

“Your Grace,” you spoke, choosing to be the first to cut through the silence. “Wasn’t there something you wished to discuss with me?”

He continued to scribble away, typical. Maybe the best strategy was to stop being formal and be upfront.

“As mentioned previously, I wish to form a contractual marriage with you.”

The Duke stops his writing and finally lifts his face to meet yours, now you got his attention.

“The Fatui are threatening my parents and are forcing them to try and sell me off as the Regrator’s concubine. So,” you purse your lips into a thin line as his emotionless face did not falter. It was a little uncomfortable but that was probably his intention. “I want your backing, to pry the Fatui away from my parents and serve as a temporary shield so they don’t try anything on them.”

He closes his eyes, letting all of the information sink in. This chance allowed you to marvel at his features more; gosh you need to stop being a little too obvious, he is strictly off limits for he has a destined maiden according to the novel.

“What can I get in return?”

An expected question, good thing you had a response prepared.

“If you choose to accept, I can grant you 70% of my father's land once I inherit everything from him when the time comes.”

“That is a very generous offer, however, that is not enough. I cannot–”

“I can be a valuable ally! My v-vision–! I did not lie your grace!”

“While that is true–”

You grab your electro vision and slam it on the table. “I swear on this vision that has been gifted to me, I am not a threat or have any ill intentions. I…” you sigh heavily. “I just want my parents to live…and I too want to live, but if it is deemed necessary that my death will secure their lives then so be it.”

Duke Alatus inspects you carefully before returning to his tasks at hand. “I’ll reach out again soon.”

‘Soon? That’s it??’

His words left you feeling empty, was he not going to help? Was this all for nothing? Will your future be doomed? Are you destined to die again in this world so soon?

‘Wait a minute…’

“I understand, your grace.” You stood up and began to take your leave, however, you stopped to say one last thing. “Two Harbingers will soon arrive at the Kingdom of Liyue. Since their spy has yet to return, they will most likely come here in the guise of ‘diplomacy’. Beware of Tartaglia, he aims to get closer to the King and steal the Gnosis, good day to you.”

As predicted, Tartaglia and The Fair Lady have made their appearance known to the land. Word spread like wildfire, the gossip was mostly about Tartaglia as the ladies gushed about his handsome appearance. Some even believed he would whisk a lady away and claim her as his wife.

But you know that was a far cry from what they imagined of him. In the novel, he was described as a blood-thirsty man, he craved the thrill edge of battle and was often drafted for wars or to settle any ‘unrest’ that would happen in the Kingdom.

Many ladies are well aware of his…battles yet they turn a blind eye and bat their eyelashes innocently, believing that they could ‘fix’ him. It’s a bit concerning that there are women who are attracted to that behavior…

Now was not the time to pity the ladies of society, the main concern at the moment was the flow of the plot. While you were correct that the two Harbingers would arrive, their reason is different from that of the novel; originally, they arrive at the Kingdom to discuss terms about their invasion of the Chasm borders but because of your interference, the invasion did not happen. With the spy imprisoned–who knows if they are still alive–they are most likely here to explain the ‘misunderstanding’ and try to save themselves from possible retaliation.

It was still likely they would double-cross the King and steal the Gnosis but the probability of it being successful is likely low. Things should be fine, you ‘predicted’ the future accurately to the duke so there shouldn’t be a reason for him to deny a contract now right? He cannot possibly be that heartless to turn a blind eye to a distressed citizen.

At least you can rest easy knowing Liyue is safe from any other attacks. By stopping the Fatui from attacking the Chasm borders, they can no longer plan another attack on Liyue which was way more diabolical than the border attack: summoning an old god and sea monster, ‘Osial’.

Osial was defeated a millennial ago by the current King of Liyue. That’s right, the King defeated Osial a millennium ago. But that story will be shared for another time, this is about your misery.

In the novel, when Tartaglia summoned Osial, the attack left some portions of the Kingdom in shambles. Most of the damage was done by the harbor where many ships were sunk, ports destroyed, and houses flooded. Safe to say, their plans have been thwarted by an insignificant character.

“Leticia, am I delusional?” you asked while fiddling with a needle.

She quickly took the needle away from you and instead handed you a book like it was a routine. It can’t be helped. If you lose that needle, it will eventually be found the same way as when you lost it the previous times, and that was not fun.

“You are an exceptional and reliable young lady,” Leticia answered.

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

“...”

“Leticia?”

“...”

“Leti–”

“Oh my, it’s my lunch break. I’ll see you soon my lady.”

So much for trying to feel better. In hindsight, caring for a noble lady who seemed to draw in trouble effortlessly was probably a draining job. Now you understand why she would think you’re delusional, she’s probably not the only one but whatever.

Instead of dwelling too much on the opinion of others, you open the book and reach for a quil to jot down the novel’s plot and asses any potential disruptions…

Fatui is planning to take over the Chasm and steal the ores from Liyue.

→Threat evaded…

Harbingers will come to Liyue to steal the Gnosis and inflict devastating damage to the lands.

→Probability of stealing the Gnosis is now low, revival of Osial is not likely to happen…

Duke Alatus will meet the heroine, the princess of Khaenri’ah, after the disaster that the Harbingers have inflicted…

→Disaster averted, will the princess still come?

Will the Regrator shift his focus elsewhere once news comes that the two Harbingers failed?

→To be determined…

Backup plan:

→ Flee to Fonatine and seek refuge…

→Become the King of Liyue’s concubine…[last resort]

‘Hmmm, there’s too much to consider…’

You shut the book and ponder about the future, so much has changed with your interference and now you’re questioning if reaching out to the duke for help was even a good idea. What if by changing the flow he is now doomed to die? Will the Kingdom suffer a more devasting fate?

“Why couldn’t I just have a peaceful life? Argh, curse you Celestia!”

In the meantime, the task on hand is to determine any possible changes to the story now. Mainly the interaction between the duke and princess, it was depicted in the novel that their union brought prosperity and strength to both Kingdoms…or in simpler terms, a power couple. Liyue cannot miss this golden opportunity to become a powerhouse that rivaled Snezhnaya.

Your fingers thrum against the wooden desk as you delve into a further recollection of the plot of the novel. There was a nagging feeling that you were forgetting an important detail but you can’t remember for the life of it, but it was probably not important.

While trying to remember that small detail, Leticia bursts into the room grinning from ear to ear but her smile falls when she sees that you are still attached to your desk as if it were your lifeline.

“My lady why are you still…,” she paused and shook her head, now wasn’t the time. Instead, she walked over to you, grabbed your arm firmly, and dragged you out of your room. “Never mind that, follow me!”

“You’re actually–”

“Follow me.”

So that’s why she was eager. The duke himself made an appearance at your family’s humble abode and with a beautiful bouquet nonetheless. Unfortunately, you were not thrilled by the idea of someone coming unannounced…that is just poor etiquette!

“I apologize for arriving unannounced,” he says with a curt bow.

Well, at least he apologized…

He extends his arms, offering you the bouquet. It would have been a romantic gesture but his cold and expressionless face kills the mood, not like he was aiming for a romantic gesture. He could have at least tried but oh well, two can play it that game.

You spare the bouquet a glance before taking on a nearby sofa, leaving him to awkwardly hold the bouquet and sit down across from you. The room was silent, neither of you spoke but the duke did not speak out of respect for you are the hostess he sought after, while you remained silent out of pettiness.

‘Ok, now I feel bad…’

You open your mouth to finally speak but he too shared the same idea. “Your predictions about the Fatui…,” oh? He paused, looking down at the bouquet as if carefully choosing his next words, “The results were as you had predicted. The King sends his deepest gratification for saving him and the Gnosis.”

Hearing the King’s sentiment, your eyes lit up in satisfaction. Now that you technically had the King’s backing–even though it was a mere thank you–there should be no reason the duke would deny you now; even more so considering how he holds the King in such high regard. The odds were definitely now in your favor if they weren’t before.

“I am glad to hear that the potential crisis has been avoided.” You chirp happily. “Now then, let’s get down to business shall we?”

Tags: @cloverdaley @7sins7dreams @catjs

Part 2 Expected Release Date: 12/16/2024

Part 2 Sneak Peak: 12/02/2024

To be added onto taglist, either comment down below or to my inbox.

#genshin impact #xiao x reader

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peculiarinsomniac · 1 month ago

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Ok I'm sorry but if I see one more story labeled x reader and when I go to read it your fugly ass OC named 'nicole' or 'bridget' are in there IM GONNA LOSE MY FUCKING MIND! THAT IS NOT X READER! I know some of you could say "well just switch it out with your name"

NO I WILL NOT! ITS ABOUT THE PRINCIPLE OF FALSE ADVERTISING! STOP IT!

Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk

And if you are one of the people that does this... I will find you and it will not be pretty

No hate to you if your name is nicole or bridget those re just examples

#x reader

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peculiarinsomniac · 3 months ago

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I don’t want to be told, ‘You’re going to be brilliant!’. I want to be told that it’s ok if I’m not.

I don’t want to be told, ‘There’s nothing to worry about!’. I want to be told that it might be scary, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth doing.

I don’t want to be told, ‘You won’t make a mistake!’. I want to be told that it’s ok to make mistakes, because it shows you are learning, and because you can always try again.

I don’t want to be told, ‘I’m sure you’ll pick it up quickly!’. I want to be told that how quickly you learn something and whether you learn it at all isn’t a part of your personality, and doesn’t reflect on your worth as a human being.

I don’t want to be told, ‘Everybody’s in the same boat!’ I want to be told that even if I struggle with things they don’t, my learning process is just as important as theirs, and I am just as deserving of help.

You don’t know why somebody is nervous. You don’t know their history with this particular struggle or environment. You don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes. Telling someone ‘You’ll be great!’ isn’t the reassurance you think it is.

If you want to encourage learning and growth, you need to establish that it’s safe to fail.

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peculiarinsomniac · 3 months ago

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₊˚⊹♡ Children Guide! ₊˚⊹♡

Haru and Aki - 9 years old (twin boys)

Yuu (Yuuri) and Yue (Yueru) - 7 years old (twins, male and female)

Hana - 5 years old female

₊˚⊹♡

Shouto does not cry often.

Ever since you've known him, even as a high school teenager at U.A., you had hardly seen him cry.

He cried after defeating Dabi.

He cried at graduation, worried that he would never see you again.

He cried at your wedding.

And he cried every time he held a new bundle of joy in his arms.

You and Shouto have five beautiful children. Two sets of twins and a daughter. Out of all of your children, Hana was the most sensitive. Practically a carbon copy of you (a miracle because all of your other children looked like your husband), the five-year-old inherited your empathy and sensitivity. She was the sweetest one with the biggest heart but when she cried, it seemed like it would never end.

As the youngest, especially the youngest daughter who just so happened to look a little too much like you, Shouto was wrapped around her little finger. Sure, your other daughter Yue loved attention from her father, but she preferred showing off how "cool" she was to her uncles (Shouto was and is still very worried about how she'll grow up in the future if she keeps hanging around with Katsuki, but oh well).

Every night, after dinner, Shouto carries Hana up the stairs of the traditional yet modern Japanese family home and helps her get ready for bed.

₊˚⊹♡

One night, while reading a book in bed, you hear the door open as usual. Not bothering to look up, you continue reading.

"Are all of the children in bed already?"

You wait for a response, but nothing comes out of his mouth. Your ears perk up at the sound of shuffling, and you look towards your husband.

"Shouto? What's wrong?"

He looks at you with a pout on his face, his teeth biting his bottom lip. You quickly put the book down and quirk a brow.

"Baby?"

Shouto just sighs and gets into bed. He tucks his head into the crook of your neck, his short hair (shorter than it was in high school) tickling your chin.

Suddenly, you hear the faintest sniffle and feel something wet on your collarbone.

Just like that, Shouto erupts into tears. After a few minutes, the top of your nightgown is soaked and the fabric is bunched up in his hands.

"Shouto, baby, talk to me please. What's wrong, my love?"

You gently cup his face in your hands and tilt his head up to face you. Did something bad happen at work? Is his family alright? He cheeks are stained with tears and his eyes are red. Your husband sighs.

"I failed as a father."

What??? You stare at him in disbelief and shake your head. "Shou, honey, you did not fail as a father and you will not fail as a father. We talked about this before having children. Yo-"

"Hana doesn't want me to carry her upstairs anymore!!"

Your jaw drops as he continues quiet-sobbing in your chest. That was what he was moping about? Your hand gently pats his back, and you have to tilt your head up to stifle a laugh.

"Shou, you're sad about that? Why?"

He looks up at you with an unamused expression, face still adorned with a pout. "Hana doesn't want me anymore."

₊˚⊹♡

After finishing her dinner, Hana clumsily puts her plastic utensils on her plate.

"Hana-chan," you called out while washing dishes, "go get ready for bed, okay?"

"Okay mama!" Taking that as his usual call, Shouto gets up from the couch and walks over to his youngest, whom is already at the stairs. He begins reaching out for her to pick her up.

"Hana, are you ready to-" "Papa, Hana is a big girl now! I wan' to go up by myshelf!" The little girl slips out of his embrace and climbs up the stairs, leaving Shouto slack-jawed and flabbergasted.

"A-ah... alright darling, I'm coming..."

₊˚⊹♡

"Babe, you're still her father. She's five! Maybe she wants to be a little independent like Yue." Shouto grimaces at the comment. Another female Katsuki Bakugou running around in the household? No thank yue (get it? hahahah/j ok nvm im not funny ig).

You kiss his forehead tenderly and look him in the eyes. "Our children won't stay children forever, okay? Hana must grow up sometime, and we felt this way when all of the twins began becoming independent. But just because they are growing up doesn't mean that they don't want us anymore. I still care for my parents and you still care for yours." His heterochromatic eyes gazed at yours, mesmerized and captivated by your beauty and words. Finally, he lets out a quiet sigh and hugs you.

"You are right. Thank you, my love."

₊˚⊹♡

"Bye darling! Have a good day!" Reaching up on your tiptoes while your unfairly tall husband reaches down to meet you halfway, you tenderly kiss him on the lips before he leaves for work. The Haru and Aki fake-gag at the display of affection, making you chuckle in response. Closing the door, you shift your attention to your youngest, busy eating apple slices. You could tell that Shouto was still a little upset about the day before, but he managed to hide it well. You shook your head and went to the kitchen window to water your hydrangea bushes when suddenly you got an idea.

"Yuuri! Yueru! Could you two come here for a second please?"

₊˚⊹♡

"I'm home."

"Papa!!"

As Shouto closed the door, your children rushed to him like a wild herd. A chorus of "Papa!"s and "Guess what!"s filled the room, making Shouto laugh.

"Now, now, one at a time. I missed you all." He picks up Yue as she excitedly rambles about her day. "Papa! Guess what! Mama let all of us take Hana to the park!"

"Oh wow, really? Did you have fun?"

"Mhm! We played tag and ate dango after!" In the corner of his vision, he sees you walk into the living room with the same, breathtaking smile that you always greet him with. Putting his chatty daughter back down, his hands find your waist while his lips press against your forehead.

"Welcome home, my love. Sorry, I was finishing up something."

"You don't need to apologize, darling. Thank you." Taking his hand, you lead him to the dining table. "All of the children except Hana already ate, so you can eat." You turn to look at your youngest, who surprisingly finished her food already.

"Oh? Are you finished, Hana-chan?" The little girl nods tiredly, her chubby cherub cheeks puffed out slightly. Shouto's heart clenches at the sight, but he can't help but notice a subtle shift in your expression, the slight upward quirk of your kissable lips. He watches you approach the five-year-old and help her out of her chair.

"Aw, you don't want some of the cookies we baked two days ago?"

"No mama, Hana's too tired." You giggle softly at your daughter's cute expression and nods. "Alright baby, thank you for finishing your dinner. You made mama and papa very happy." Both you and your husband watch her give you another sleepy nod as she looks up at Shouto.

"Papa, I'm ready for bed." Shouto hesitantly walks closer to his daughter, worried that she'll do the same thing again and reject him.

However, Hana just looks at him with sleepy doe eyes and arms outstretched to him. Her little body stays planted to the ground.

"Papa, I'm waiting. You're s'pposed to carry Hana."

You mentally facepalm at the sassy response and third person referencing while speaking, no doubt one of her classmates taught her that at kindergarten, though you suppose that you can let it slide just this once when you see Shouto visibly tear up. He not-so-subtly brings his left hand up to cover his eyes as his right hand gently picks up Hana as if she were made of glass. As his little princess wraps her arms around his neck and rests her head on his shoulder, he chokes on his words.

"Ah, yes my darling, Papa will always carry you."

You watch your husband walk up the stairs with your youngest, tears spilling from your own eyes.

Well done, (Y/N). Well done.

₊˚⊹♡

The next morning, Shouto appears to have gotten a week's worth of sleep in one night. Extra excited and happy (and clingy), he wouldn't keep his hands off of you. As he put on his boots, however, he hears faint giggling coming from the kitchen. Quietly, he walks to the open archway connecting the kitchen and rest of the house. There, he sees both sets of twins, Haru and Aki and Yuuri and Yueru, as well as you opening your reusable grocery bag and pulling out two chocolate bars. While giving it to the twins, Yue lets out a loud cheer, Aki kicking her shin and shushing her. He observes his pretty wife as she lets out a quiet laugh. "Thank you, my darlings. You really made your father happy."

₊˚⊹♡Extra, prior to the shenanigans₊˚⊹♡

"Yes mama?" The twins say in unison. Your eyes sparkle with a glint of mischief as you lean in close to whisper something.

"I need you to drain Hana-chan's energy today so that she is very sleepy after dinner. I'll give you both a bar of your favorite chocolate if you do this successfully."

Yue, ever the overenergetic twin (who really is just hungry for chocolate), excitedly waves her hand around. "Ooh! Ooh! I know! We'll take her to the park to play tag!"

"Excellent idea!" You clap your hands in agreement and look at Yuu. "Yuuri, darling, could you ask your elder brothers if they would also like to join in?" The more sedate twin nods and starts walking to his elder siblings.

₊˚⊹♡

A/N: Guess who's back from exhaustion and the dead (˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶) I cannot believe I have been inactive for almost two months and I apologize ToT Hopefully this short fic of mine will make up for the lost time! This idea was hilarious and super fun to write!! I hope that you enjoyed and that it wasn't too hard to follow. I love writing for Shouto I just love that fine-ahh man, so this was super self-indulgent.

October was a mess for me, both physically and mentally. Hopefully by the middle of November will I be less busy. Thank you, readers, for bearing with me and my inactivity, and I hope that you continue enjoying all of my works ♡♡♡

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peculiarinsomniac · 3 months ago

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— CAN'T WE BE SEVENTEEN? ; shoto todoroki ; 焦凍

summary: he's loved you since he was seventeen. pairing: f!reader x pro hero!shoto ; reader was a 1-A student tags: mutual pining, heavy make-out, thinly veiled sugar daddy shoto, reader does not go pro, touya might be a dick but he's a hero now, shoto is bad at feelings wordcount: 5.6k a/n: i do not fucking know what came over me, enjoy your food my little todorokinas. yes the title is what you think it is. no i will not elaborate.

You never did go pro.

Truthfully, you thought there would be more pushback when, in your senior year, you announced your plan to pursue a degree in early childhood education with a focus on non-conforming quirk development.

The War changed a lot. It changed you, your classmates, and the world. But, through it all one thing stuck with you:

What if someone helped Tenko Shimura?

How different would his life have been? How different would history have spun?

You graduated at the top of your class and joined the faculty at Chiba Prefectural Preparatory School for Quirk Specialties two years ago.

Chiba Prep was opened eight years ago in response to a societal cry for more infrastructure around what was dubbed "non-conforming quirks": a nice way to say quirks that can injure, maim, or kill. Maybe even all three on a bad day. Some parents still see their child being labeled as a non-conforming quirk user in the national database as akin to social suicide.

You see it differently.

Your quirk allows you to manipulate emotions — anger, sadness, betrayal, love, hatred. If you can feel it, you can sink it into another's psyche deep enough to drive them to act. You can even imbue things with feelings. For example, a cup of warm milk can transform into more than just a simple comfort, now it can hold the feeling of home and safety, or even exhaustion strong enough to put even the biggest foe to rest.

You could easily use your quirk with nefarious intent.

You could steep hatred in someone's bone so deep it drives them to harm themselves. You could sew fury so solid into someone's mind it drives them to violence.

Just a touch and you can control others with something so intrinsically personal it only exists within themselves: their feelings.

What makes you any different from little Asuke, a shy little girl with a quirk that allows her to see people's greatest fears, and then manifest and control them? You're convinced she can use this for good, if only with practice. In your mind, her future is bright and glimmering. Perhaps she will become a therapist, focusing on exposure therapy? Or, maybe the most prolific horror novelist in their time?

Or, bright and sunny Tao — a transplant whose parents sought out Chiba Prep's specialized education — whose heteromorphic quirk makes his bodily fluids, namely saliva, eat through nearly anything but his own biologics. A sneeze is quickly the most dangerous thing in the world for the cheery, lizard-bodied class clown.

He's just a boy given a quirk that needs more care.

He isn't a villain-in-training.

None of them are.

It's important to teach them that young — and as their teacher for Year 3 of their elementary schooling, you aim to hammer that in as much as possible. They deserve to feel normal. To feel loved and supported. They aren't scary, they're children.

So, you take it upon yourself to insist on pushing for privileges like field trips. There aren't many public spaces that welcome the classes of Chiba Prep with open arms. Over the years, there have been plenty of incidents. But, a day trip into the city to visit Tokyo's Hall of Heroes is green-lit with bubbling excitement from both faculty, the children, and their parents.

You usually keep your history as a graduated member of Class 1-A quiet.

After all, you never did go pro.

And even still, Shoto Todoroki never stopped thinking about you.

He remembers that weekend everyone moved back in for their last year before graduation. He remembers you smiling at him, and helping him drag up a duffel of luggage from the common room to his dorm. You made a joke about how you're sure he got taller over the summer, and how his hair is longer now. You said you liked it.

It was the beginning of the end, then.

His crush was a silent, smothering thing. It made it hard to think. Shoto had enough on his plate thanks to Touya's acceptance into the Villain Rehabilitation Program and his father's insistence on staving off retirement. Not to mention his parent's divorce — no matter how amicable, it was still a separation. Add on training, tests, studying, finals, and j-term classes... And a desperate, writhing, burning crush on the nicest girl in class?

Touya's elbow digs into Shoto's side.

It drags him back to reality — to the stifled quiet of the historical Hall of Heroes.

Suddenly, the doors to the wing squeak open, and a tour guide ushers in the elementary school class. The buzzing excitement and wonder are visible on each of their faces as the attendant — one of the HoH's lead tour guides — excitedly explains the newest, in-progress addition to the Hall:

Endeavor's wing.

There's a whisper of awe that ripples through the children as their teacher and co-teacher follow, and as the class moves through the large, open space. They're staring up eagerly at the gilded statue in the center of the room. It's larger than life and intimidating. Years ago, Shoto might have had to fight the odd tremble in his knees at the reminder it brings: to be small in his father's shadow again. But, things are different now.

Very different.

Touya scoffs. "I thought this wing wasn't open to the public yet."

"They're just children," Shoto hums, turning his back on the gaggle across the way to inspect the large mural winding along the back end of the installation, "I'm sure it's—"

"Oh, ho, no way!"

Shoto quirks his brow at his brother's outburst. His elbow digs into Shoto's ribs again.

"Ain't that the pretty girl you never got the balls to ask out your senior year?" comes the rasped drawl of his older brother's voice. Touya is clearly amused, his white hair hanging in his eyes as he leans forward to squint, "She is cute, Sho'—"

"Shut up," Shoto grits, turning his head over his shoulder; he tries to bite back the flurry of nerves that ignite in his gut, "Stop talking."

It is you.

You look... good.

Happy.

You're crouched by a small, timid girl in the back of the crowd. Your hand is in hers, and you're pointing upwards at the large paneled screens replaying Endeavor's most historic fights. You're explaining something to her, your knees bent as you squat. You look... the same. As if in the six years since they graduated, you sat still in time.

For a second, it's like he's seventeen again.

It's his senior year, and he's stuck at the corner of the gym's edge with a half-empty glass of punch in his hand. The lights are low, and there's slow music playing. His tie feels too tight. Bakugo keeps telling him to 'ask her to dance already', and Kirishima is considering bashing his head through the wall. Even Midorya is trying to persuade Shoto.

"It's prom, man! C'mon, this could be your last chance—"

Touya is about to be a real pain in the ass — his favorite pastime — and make some comment about your ass, but when he turns to lob the one-liner at his baby brother, Shoto's gone.

Shoto is on the move.

The crescendo of gasps draws your attention first.

Then, the cry of "WOAH, IT'S SHOTO!" leaves you dumbfounded. The rippling murmur of excitement bleeds into the children as their eyes — and the eyes of the tour guide — widen at the sight of the approaching Pro Hero.

Shoto Todoroki.

He looks... good.

Really good.

He's a bit older, and a bit more filled out than when you were both teenagers. You can see the strength in his arms and shoulders — it's a distant echo of his father's physique, though Shoto is so much more elegant and much... prettier. He's always been.

For a second, you're seventeen again.

It's your senior year, and you're sprawled across Momo Yaoyorozu's bed.

They had finally wrangled out of you who your crush was: something they hadn't been able to do in all their years as classmates.

There's a sticky, Miss Midnight-themed face mask clinging to your expression as you try to flip through the large magazine in your hands as nonchalantly as possible. Mina's voice, as she paints Ochaco's nails a bright pink on the floor, is sweet and saccharine as she looks up at you.

"I think you and Shoto would be, like, the cutest couple ever."

You're still crouched when the tour guide nervously — like she was caught doing something naughty — introduces The Pro Hero Shoto to the already-aware crowd of elementary school students and their teachers. It's like igniting a match; the uproar of excitement leaves you laughing as three of your boys push forward to bombard him with questions about his quirk.

Asuke is smiling shyly, now. That's a small win. She's intrigued by the appearance of a real hero, not the "scary statues" — and her big, fat tears stopped rolling the moment you laid a gentle hand on her to quell her anxiety over the new environment with a push of comfort through your quirk. She unhooks her pinkie finger from yours as you guide her towards your co-teacher.

"Boys," you call with a crisp air of authority as you stand and lead Asuke toward the bulk of the field trip group, "What have we learned about personal space?"

"It's fine, really, Insight," comes Shoto's voice; as warm and placid as you remember.

"Insight?" mutters your co-teacher at the presumed hero-name; a look of confusion plasters itself on her face, and her big, feline ears perk up. She leans in to whisper in a way that borders on conspiratory, "Do you two know one another?"

"Old classmates," you confirm, not daring to get into the finer details.

Shoto's attention is entirely rooted in the way you manage the kids. There's something beautiful about the ease with which you handle the bouquet of students; you quell the excitement into a manageable decibel like it's as easy as breathing.

"Shoto," you start as you gesture to him, "Has a very special quirk — Toyamai, he has ice like you. And, fire like Tojiro. He can regulate his temperature. Can anyone tell me what that means?"

There's a wave of hands shooting up, a few me, me, me's rise from the gaggle.

You're using him as a teaching moment.

Shoto's smile is soft.

You nod at Ogomi, excitedly nodding as the reserved child speaks up. Normally, he hates public speaking. But, recently, he's started working with the speech pathologist during lunch. The boy bounces a little as he answers. "He doesn't g-get too hot, or too c-cold."

"Exactly! Isn't that cool?" you grin at the lazy attempt at a pun, "This is why it's important to learn about our quirks as much as we can!"

Touya thinks this whole thing is just too cute.

You're different than he remembers — but, granted, things were sorta different last time he saw you. He was a little too busy tryna kill his old man and lil' Shoto. He's different now, too. A changed man! A real licensed hero. Support items and all.

He hangs back.

He... I mean, he is a jack-ass but he isn't gonna ruin this for Shoto.

...It's kinda cute.

Just about as cute as Fuyumi said it was.

Apparently, Shoto had opened up to her and Natsuo about his feelings after graduation — about how he regretted not doing anything about it. Fuyumi then told their mum, who then off-handedly mentioned it to Touya... and well Touya dug in because, duh, he is a whore for good gossip. He might be the family's black sheep, but Shoto is the glue that binds.

And he deserves to be happy.

Your co-teacher is ushering the kids to the next installation — a viewing of All Might's Legacy, a new documentary following the retired pro's teaching career. It will be a good wind down for them, in comfy seats and the dark. It's hardly the sort of content an elementary school student would find riveting, but it is All Might. And they love him.

You hang back.

Shoto's heart is hammering in his chest.

"Hey."

"Hi," you greet back, closing the door to the theater and stepping forward as you weave your arms around you, "Long time no see."

"Yea," Shoto breathes, his hands in his pockets as he meets you halfway across the museum's marble floors, "I... I see you're teaching."

His eyes are as pretty as they were back then. Slate grey and piercing turquoise. "I'm in my second year," you confirm softly, fiddling with the material of your sweater, "Congrats to your old man."

You gesture up at the statue, then wave around to the rest of the installation.

Shoto inhales, then nods; he's staring at your face, blissfully realizing you're just the way you were all those years ago. Kind. "I'll pass it along."

"How's he handling it?" you ask, your eyes raking across his expression and trying not to stick to the sharp slope of his jaw, or the bob of his Adam's apple, "Retirement, I mean."

"He's happy, I think. Touya and I are working together and... things are... good."

Last month, Endeavor finally retired. He cited his age, and his dedication to passing his legacy to his two sons: Shoto and Touya. Shoto has planted himself firmly within the Top Ten in the last year or so, and shockingly, Touya isn't far behind. People love an underdog's redemption story, you suppose.

And the underdog in question can read a room.

This is getting a little too sexually tense for even him.

"Heeeeey, girl," he rasps out, staggering backward with a thumb over his shoulder, "Nice t' see ya. I'll let you two catch up, yea? I'm gonna go pop my head into the theater, see how the kids are handling the snooze fest on screen—"

You jump.

How long has he even been there?

"Hi, D— Touya," you strain, wincing a little; the rehab'd villain doesn't seem to mind.

"Hi, teach'. That cool with you?" he asks, wobbling his thumb and quirking a pierced eyebrow; it's comical, like he's trying to disarm you with humor, "Don't want you thinkin' I'm corrupting your youths—"

"It's fine," you breathe, ignoring the sting of age-old mistrust. You know better. Shoto wouldn't be here, with him, if Touya Todoroki hadn't changed. Endeavor wouldn't be entrusting his legacy to the ex-League of Villain member if he didn't believe in his capacity for good, "Just don't be disruptive."

Casting judgment on someone whose life was nearly destroyed by his own non-conforming quirk would go against everything you taught the kids anyway.

"Touya's whole thing is being disruptive," Shoto grits as his oldest brother slips silently through the doors, "I apologize for him—"

"No," you wave him off, laughing a little, "Don't. It's... nice to see you two together."

Shoto's expression is soft as he wanders a little closer. "It took time — and a lot of therapy — but we've all managed to come out the other side."

"That's great to hear, Shoto," you breathe, your eyes flitting across his face, "I'm really happy for you."

There's a long silence, then — and you can't help but ignore the roil of butterflies in your stomach. The eye contact is heavy with some unspoken thing, and both of your tongues are weighted by secrets-never-turned-confessions.

It's like finally this dance you've been doing around one another for years breaks — and the two of you throw caution to the wind at the exact same moment.

"Would you like to—"

"Are you free—"

Hesitant, slow grins bloom on both your faces.

"Dinner?" is all he manages after a sweet moment of soaking up your soft smile, "If you're available...?"

You make yourself available.

Yaoyorozu almost dies when you call her that night — winded from tearing through your entire wardrobe. You explained you had nothing to wear a-and you needed something nice, and you only have an hour to get ready, because Todoroki — yes, stop screaming, Todoroki — is picking you up at 8pm.

Little bro is nervous. Touya can tell.

From his spot on the sofa, the white-haired ex-degenerate scoffs. Natsuo is digging around for some cufflinks in Shoto's dresser.

"Seriously, Sho'? A suit?"

"It's a nice restaurant," his brother says tightly, adjusting the collar of the black button-down, "I booked the upstairs dining room for privacy."

"Who the hell told you t' do that?" Touya quirks a skeptical brow.

"Father was the one who suggested it."

"...That old dog."

Natsuo rolls his eyes at the exchange before throwing his hands as he emerges from the closet. "Do you have any links that aren't emblazoned with U.A. High School's crest?"

The ones in Natsuo's hands have his graduation year on them.

Shoto winces.

"Want me to ask dear ol' dog of a dad?" Touya snarks from the corner, his posture becoming less and less upright as he scrolls on his phone.

"Already did," comes the soft voice of Fuyumi; she's smiling, padding into Shoto's room with a velvet box, "He offered up his nicest pair. He also says not to screw it up with Insight. He likes her."

Of course, he likes her. You worked under Endeavor for a brief work-study period during your third year. Shoto remembers hearing grumbled praise over dinner one night about your talent for de-escalation.

"You told him who I was seeing?" Shoto asks incredulously, taking the box and working the cufflinks on. He's starting to feel exasperated.

Fuyumi nods, popping down beside Touya.

"He asked. I'm not gonna lie to him."

"Did y' tell ma?" Touya rasps, peeking up over his phone to inspect Shoto's outfit. Not half bad, honestly. He looks good in all black. A man after his own heart, "M'sure she's gonna be real excited—"

"Yes," Shoto grumbles, "I called her earlier—"

"Chiba Prep is a really good school, y'know," Natsuo buts in as he tries to find a tie that matches Shoto's outfit. Ultimately, though, the middle brother decides against it and tosses the options over his shoulder, "They're, like, on the leading edge for quirk therapies."

"Hey, nerd? Quiet down. The big kids are gossiping," Touya shirks, turning back to Shoto, "What did mum say?"

"She wants me to call her after—"

"One, you're gonna call mum the morning after," Touya raises a finger, "Because if you don't get laid, I'll be so fuckin' disap—"

Fuyumi slaps Touya's chest. He lets out a pained yelp at the solid smack.

"Uh, ow," he rubs his sternum. "An' two, take a deep breath. You look like you're gonna shit yourself. Those are my pants and they're expensive."

Shoto lets out a long breath.

Fuyumi's smile is sweet like honey. "Aw, Sho'! It's gonna go great. You two have known each other for such a long time, and catching up is going to be amazing. Just be yourself! Confident and kind—"

"—Hold the door open for her, and pull her chair out," Natsuo adds as he adjusts Shoto's collar for him, "Car door, too—"

It's Touya's turn. He's dead serious. "—And do not chicken out on kissing her at the end of the night. I swear to god."

Easier said than done.

You never did go pro.

Those years of hardened battle instincts have lost their edge. You try to remind yourself this is just Shoto, not The Shoto — but you're a little lost in the whole celebrity of it all when he picks you up in a very nice, sporty little car with ENDVRplates.

You answer the door and he forgets how to breathe.

He has flowers for you. They're blue and blooming and beautiful.

Fuyumi's contribution.

You settled then you were going to kiss him at the end of the night.

The restaurant is... nice. Really nice. The sort of nice you could never aspire to experience on your teacher's salary. Even the valet is a concept that has your head spinning. But, Shoto handles it all with cool ease. The entire time, his hand is settled on your lower back.

It feels like you've been lit on fire.

You're glad Momo was able to create a dress fitting for the occasion. It's sleek and black. Comfortable, too. Not much can be said for your heels on that front, but it's fine.

Somehow, Shoto managed to book the entire upper floor of this place in all its glimmering glory — it's just the two of you alone in a sea of tables.

The waiter is pouring you a glass of the chef's suggested pairing of sake.

You thank him, smile, and take a sip as Shoto unbuttons his suit jacket and watches you.

For a second, you're seventeen again.

Sero and Kirishima were always in cahoots when it came to parties back then — somehow, between the two of them, they always managed to smuggle enough booze onto campus to obliterate any semblance of promised sobriety from even the most stoic members of 1-A.

You remember one night, after a lot of hounding, you finally gave in and joined a few of your classmates on the back lawn for a few drinks.

A few beers turned into a cup or two of wine, and then another big gulp of whatever deranged jungle juice concoction Kaminiari managed to cook up. It tasted terrible, but you were too drunk to really care. Shoto was no better. He was nursing his fourth drink of the night — a rarity he was even drinking at all — and seemed completely fine with the way your arms brushed as the two of you sat close in the grass.

He was always so nervous around you. Now, he just seemed... happy.

"I can't believe there is only one week left until graduation."

Graduation day was the last time you saw him.

Until this morning, that is.

You smile into your drink.

"What?" you ask when his eyes never leave your face.

His fingers twitch towards his own glass. Shoto blinks, then rolls his jaw. He was caught staring. He clears his throat, looking a bit shy. "Nothing."

"Nothing?" you press playfully, cocking your head to the side.

"You..." he starts, then bawks. You're stunning, and it's making it hard to even think straight. He thought these feelings might have mellowed out over the years but seeing you again has just reignited everything. He feels like a hormonal teenager again, "You look beautiful."

Your expression falters into something lovesick. You chew your lip. "You're not so bad yourself, Todoroki."

He manages a half-smile. "Touya had me worried the suit was a bit much."

The idea of Touya offering him advice on his outfit strikes a chord in your heart. It makes you smile even bigger than before. "Well, you can tell Touya that I like it. A lot."

You rake your eyes up and down him. On purpose.

He notices.

Shoto's face feels hot.

He tries to shake the bone-deep want that has swept his entire body up in its grip, but it's difficult when every single word out of your mouth reminds him just how in love he was with you back in school. You explain, excitedly, why you chose to teach at Chiba Prefectural Prep and catch him up on where you've been living since graduating. He's pleased to learn you're still in the area, living in the city, and decidedly in love with the commute to the school.

Shoto's always been a good listener — but you can see how much he's changed when he begins to speak about his career. He seems so much more sure of himself than he was all those years ago. It wasn't that he was... unsure... but, no. He was shy. Quiet.

Now, less so.

It's adorable.

Dinner comes and goes with conversation over sushi that is far too good for you to even process. It's easy talking to him. It was easy talking to Shoto back, then, too but... Things are different. You're both different. Not in a bad way, but in a way that feels like coming home.

While you both wait outside for the valet, Shoto shrugs his jacket off and puts it over your shoulders without a single word. Suddenly, you're cradled in a warmth that's very Shoto — his cologne clings to the collar and you bury yourself a little deeper into it.

Shyly, you step closer and steal his hand. It's calloused and warm. He laced his fingers with yours as if practiced. You bite back a grin. You give his hand a little squeeze when you spot the car coming around the corner.

His silence is calming — and he squeezes your hand back. When you look up at him, you realize he's already looking at you.

His face is close. It's so... intimate. Very. Nearly better than a kiss.

But, you've wanted to kiss Shoto Todoroki since you were seventeen.

The valet driver interrupts the moment with a respectful call of Shoto's name and offers the keys with a shake of the hand. With a little bit of hesitancy, Shoto remembers the thing Natsuo said — the car door, too — and moves around the passenger side to open the door for you.

It's sweet.

Really sweet.

The car ride back to your apartment is punctuated with easy conversation — you ask him about Bakugo and Midorya, and you're pleased to hear they're both doing well. He asks about Momo, and if you still keep in touch with Mina and Ochaco. He smiles to himself when you admit you did call Momo for help with an outfit.

"She did a beautiful job," Shoto breathes, a palm moving from the gear shift to brush over the dress' fabric on your thigh.

His hand settles there.

Your stomach does a flip.

You chew your lip, swallow down a sudden burst of nerves, and let your hand rest over his. You squeeze it. Shoto tries to focus on the road. His gaze drifts for a moment at a red light, his heterochromatic eyes dancing across your figure.

Keep it together.

He isn't seventeen.

He's twenty-five. He's a Professional Hero. One of the Top Ten in all of Japan. He's more than capable of keeping it together in the face of physical touch from the woman he's dreamed about for years.

...Right?

Green light.

His hand is still on your thigh when he pulls up to your apartment.

The touch is relinquished in favor of putting the sports car in park.

It makes your chest ache.

Shoto swallows thickly.

Do not chicken out on kissing her at the end of the night.

He'll never forgive himself. But, admittedly, he's bad at this. He's not good at reading body language, or even knowing himself enough to realize he looks mildly terrified as you blink up at him in the passenger's seat. His heart is hammering a mile a minute.

What if you don't want to kiss him?

When would he even kiss you? Now? Or at the door?

Why does he feel like he's going to die?

"This was really... Shoto, are you okay?" you ask as you unbuckle your seatbelt; you pause, your brows knitting tightly.

"What?" he asks, blinking back to the present moment. The look of fear disappears, "Sorry. Yes. I'm fine."

You're working his jacket off your shoulders, gently leaning to fold it neatly in your lap. Your voice dips low, into something playful. "You didn't look fine..."

"I—" Shoto clamps his mouth shut as he leans an elbow on the center console, "Sorry. I suppose I'm just nervous."

"Nervous?" you grin, a little giggle punctuating your words as you wriggle in the red, leather seat, "Why?"

Your expression makes his expression crack. He ducks his head as he huffs out a laugh. You continue to egg him on via expression alone. "I... Stop it."

"Stop what?" you push some more, your back pressed to the door as you face him in the car, "You're the one being weird—"

"I'm not being weird—"

"Then what's wrong, Shoto?" you tease in a sing-song voice.

"I'm nervous because I want to kiss you."

His words are punctuated by a slow look that takes in every inch of your face. Butterfly wings kiss your stomach walls. And your knees. You feel a little tremble in your chest.

It feels like someone has sucker punched you square in the sternum. Shoto's no better. He isn't entirely sure what the expression on your face means. Is that... good? Are you happy?

Your voice is a little quieter now. You duck your head and fiddle with his suit jacket as you lean back against the seat, a little closer now.

"You don't need to be."

Shoto's breath catches at that.

So, he makes his move.

His hand comes first — his calloused palm settles nicely against your face, his thumb brushing your cheekbone as his pointer finger brushes the underside of your jaw. Shoto is slow. Methodical. It's like he's trying to ground himself in the moment.

Truth be told, he thinks he might be blacking out.

Your eyes flit up his wrist — a dark leather band around his wrist with an expensive watch face, a dark dress shirt with glimmering cufflinks, strong arms and a broad chest, and you can see the dip of his collarbone where the top two buttons of his shirt remain undone.

He looks so damn handsome with his sharp jaw, pretty eyes, and his trademark white and crimson hair. Even his scar is beautiful.

The touch pulls you in like he's got his own personal orbit.

Your elbows are braced along the center console, your eyes flicking across his face as his fingers continue to brush along the soft expanse of your cheek. You wring your fingers together.

Then, his eyes stick to your lips.

"Can I kiss you?" he whispers, his breath fanning across your face.

You never did go pro.

But, Shoto did.

It shows.

Because, at this moment, all you can do is nod feebly before you're swept into the sort of kiss people go to war for. It's the sort of kiss that sticks to your ribs, that feels like warm, fresh food. It's the sort of kiss that would drive you to the brink, that would make you nod and agree sure, let's get married and have three kids, let's name one after your father, and paint the house blue like your mother's favorite flower—

His mouth is eager, but not in an overbearing way. It's gentle. Slow. As if he needs to remind himself this is real and not some midnight fiction that leaves him aching and alone. Shoto reminds himself to be tepid, pliable, and easy, which is easier said than done when somewhere deep inside of him there's a seventeen-year-old screaming in victory.

It's better than anything he could have ever imagined.

And then you whimper.

It's a sound tied between bliss and relief and it's muttered against his mouth as you lean in and let your fingers brush the fabric of his dress shirt. The tips of your fingers brush his abdomen and he flexes, the feeling foreign and warm. It warrants his other hand to drift to your face and you break for a breath; he doesn't care that there's lipstick smeared across his mouth. He's kissing you again — this time a little bit more feverish, a little bit more aching.

You melt against him, this time your hands trembling to grip his wrists.

He needs to slow down.

He is not having sex with you in his father's car.

That's shameless.

He needs to slow down.

He has to, or he'll lose himself in this and he refuses to fuck this up.

Shoto's breath is ragged when he finally peels himself away, his lip parted and eyes half-lidded. His grip on your face is still so soft, so gentle. It's very him.

You're glad you didn't do this when you were seventeen.

It would have permanently altered your brain chemistry, you're sure of it. How could you ever kiss someone else again after that?

He's rubbing your cheek with his thumb. You swallow, and try to level out your breathing. It's hard when he's still so close, when he's so... perfect.

"I've wanted to do that," he murmurs against your cheek, "Since our last year at Yuei."

A well-kissed smile breaks across your face. You reel back, your nose wrinkling as you shake your head in disbelief. Shoto is smiling. A real smile. The sort that's so rare you can count on one hand the amount of times you've ever seen it in person.

"Are you serious?"

"Very," he says, chastely pressing another to your other cheek as he leans back.

"Me too," you admit shyly, "Can we... do it again sometime?"

Shoto's eyes widen incrementally. Then, his smile eases back onto his face.

"Are you free this weekend?"

"I can be," you reply easily with a honeyed look, "And I will be. For you."

"I get off patrol on Saturday around seven," he explains before asking timidly, "We could... do dinner again?"

"Works for me," you breathe as you move for the handle of the car door, "After all, I never went Pro. Weekends are free."

Shoto scoffs.

Then, as you open the door and swing a leg out:

"Oh, and tell Touya I thought the suit sexy."

Shoto's laugh is dry. You leave his jacket on the seat and scurry into your apartment with a lovesick wave. He swears he sees the silhouette of a familiar ponytail greet you at the door, but he doesn't dwell on it. He waits until you're inside and the lights to the front door are shut off.

Then it hits him. He has another date with you this weekend.

Not so seventeen anymore, Shoto Todoroki.

#todoroki x reader #shoto todoroki x reader #shoto todoroki x you #shoto todoroki imagine #mha imagine #bnha imagine

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peculiarinsomniac · 4 months ago

Text

SAVE MY LOVE FOR YOU | MANJIRO SANO.

જ⁀➴ synposis: neither you nor mikey seem to have pulled out cupid's arrow despite being separated in this timeline. lucky for you two, you have the perfect group of friends for you to reunite in every life.

જ⁀➴ content warning: manga spoilers! (the ending), racer! mikey, best friend! kazutora, fem! reader, tooth rotting fluff, mikey is very confident and famous, making out on the first date, se.x in the changing room, se.x on the couch, protective sex (wrap it before you tap it), overstimulation, cunnilingus, mikey makes you cum three times, he's a sweetheart.

જ⁀➴ word count: 10k

જ⁀➴ note: thank you to @mztoman for commissioning me again (so loyal!) i had so much fun writing this, even though it took me a while. and thank YOU guys for 8k followers! I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it hehe.

ʚ⁺˖↪ comments and reblogs are greatly appreciated!

One of Takemichi’s biggest achievements in life is giving his friends the life he promised them when he first discovered what being a time leaper was. It wasn’t easy, he fought like hell but it was worth it at the end. All of his friends are alive, his girlfriend is soon going to become his wife and was preparing for their wedding—it couldn’t get more perfect than this. The man sat next to this big window of a very quiet and fancy place, so lost in his thoughts that he failed to notice that his friend was walking back towards their table.

Manjiro watched as the black haired male fidgeted nervously in his seat. It was his idea to take him out, help him loosen up a little since Takemichi has been so caught up in wedding stress. He deserved a day like this. Especially with how far he’s come and the sacrifices he made for them to be here in the first place.

“If you fidget again, you might break the chair,” Manjiro teases him as he takes a seat across from him. He watches as the male flinches before resting his forehead on the table. Takemichi heaves out a long sigh.

“This is way too fancy, Mikey…”

“Well, what did you think? That I’d be allowed to go a coffee shop down the street where anyone can recognize me?” Manjiro flashes his friend a grin, a little proud that his career mad him get this far. And Takemichi sighs in defeat, accepting the fact that their little hangouts were going to be like this from now on.

“Plus, you need this more than I do. Wedding preparations are wearing you out. Maybe attending Emma’s wedding first will help putting you in a good mood before the big day comes up.” It was true, but there was something else to be discussed and Takemichi wasn’t sure of how to bring it up.

Was this even the right moment for it? He didn’t even know if it was appropriate to discuss this so casually. But he needed to get it off his chest. It was one of the first things he noticed when the last time leap happened—how it felt off. He wasn’t even sure at first, he thought he was just imagining things, that the time leaps took a toll on him. But one look at Chifuyu confirmed that he wasn’t tripping. Someone was missing in the picture.

“Hey, do you remember ever having a girlfriend in the past?” Takemichi tries to be casual about this, tries not to make it seem like it was a life or death situation but his facial expression fails him. It was so serious that it makes Mikey pause eating his food.

“Huh?”

“A girlfriend, or perhaps a girl? Do you remember being involved with a girl romantically?” At first, Takemichi was hesitating on telling his friend about this. After all, there’s no nice way to ask this question without making it seem like you are calling your friend a total loser. But he remember his conversation with Chifuyu, and he knows that if there is anyone to trust when it comes to information about the past, it’s either him or Naoto.

“I remember her, we didn’t talk that much but she was definitely there,” Chifuyu says, still holding the cold beer in his hand. Takemichi had invited him to his apartment while Hinata was out shopping, because he couldn’t just discuss this kind of stuff over the phone.

“Through it all, right?”

“Mhm, you remember her too Michi, you’re just hesitant.” Chifuyu was right. Takemichi knew what he saw in all of the timelines, he is sure that there was someone and Mikey always looked so protective of you, never let anyone near you. He’s never seen his friend like that, and so for him to be separated from her in this final timeline just didn’t make sense. He needed to do something about it.

“Michi, are you trying to tell me something?” It seemed like Mikey refused to take the situation seriously, and no one could blame him. What was supposed to be a fun hang out with his best friend was turning into a serious conversation and faster than he had anticipated.

“You were in love, Mikey.” This sentence makes his face fall. Takemichi sighs before leaning back in his seat, stirring the drink placed in front of him.

“Each time I went back in time and tried to fix things, it led me to a different timeline—a different outcome. In all of them, you were involved with this girl—you were different,” Takemichi pauses as he looks up at his friend. “No matter how bad things turned out to be, she was always there and seemed to be the only person to pull you out of this dark cloud. Last time, way before that big fight happened—“ He almost cringes when he remembers how bad it was. “You two weren’t together anymore. And I’m not sure why or how, but that seemed to worsen things for you. And if I’m not mistaken, she did end up dying at one point.”

Manjiro was trying his best to process what was being said to him. He was quiet, attentive and did not know what to say. He wasn’t opposed to the idea that younger him had found love, he was more upset that he must’ve fucked up some way for this mysterious girl to leave him and not want to be involved with him anymore. But he had no memory of her. No name, no address—how old was she? Were they both the same age? Was she older? What was she like? She must’ve been super patient with him because his teenage self was a menace, whiny and way too needy.

“Do you remember what she was like?” Mikey breaks the silence, his eyes going from his drink to his friend’s face who hums, trying his best to remember some of the features.

“I’m not sure, all I remember is that she was very loyal to you. She had a bonten tattoo on the back of her neck to match yours.” Takemichi remembers vividly the Bonten timeline, where he had tried to visit Mikey at that one abandoned building. He remembers watching her as she stood near the leader with careful eyes, a warm touch that contrasted her partner’s cold demeanor. She seemed to give Mikey what he lacked—warmth, love and a home.

“Where was she during the last fight?”

“I have no idea, but she didn’t want to be around you,” Takemichi cringes at the confession.

It’s true, she and Manjiro were like strangers in this timeline, but it wasn’t guaranteed that they wouldn’t meet again. After all, this mysterious girl was also friends with the rest of Toman. Takemichi wasn’t sure who exactly was her closest friend in the gang, and it made the chances of meeting her very slim.

“How do you know so much, though?” Mikey starts, taking a bite from his pastry. “You can remember that I was a piece of shit to her, but not her face?” It was a natural question, and no offense was taken by Takemichi who shrugged his shoulders.

“Honestly, I don’t know. I got some answers from Chifuyu and Naoto. We know this girl, but we tried to look at every picture with Toman and she was just never there. Almost like a ghost.”

“And you’re sure she isn’t dead in this present time?” This was Takemichi’s least favorite theory. Something must’ve happened in the past, she was nowhere to be found and the guy didn’t have time to ask everyone if they remember a certain girl being involved with the gang. All he could hope for was that she was alive and that nothing bad happened to her. Unlike that one timeline where she does end up getting killed, Takemichi hoped that she somehow survived and made it in the present time.

“I hope that she isn’t.” Takemichi confesses, almost gloomily. “But one thing is for sure—if she was close to somebody in Toman, there’s a chance she might attend either mine or your sister’s wedding. Let’s not lose hope.”

You are invited to the wedding of an old friend. You remember Emma as being the light of any room she walks into, and seeing her get married to the one person she’s always had a crush on makes you grin from ear to ear as you hold the wedding invitation in your hands. You are not particularly close to the couple, but you remember bumping into them a couple of times and every time you would pray that nothing bad happens and separates them because their happiness is truly contagious.

The wedding takes place in about two days, and you learn that you are not the only one invited when you hear your doorbell ring.

“You’re invited to Emma and Draken’s wedding, right?” Kazutora stands at your door and you snort at how excited he is. You’ve been friends with him for almost a decade now, you’ve seen each other at your lowest and you couldn’t deny that your friendship with the man was one of a kind. He pestered you like you were a little sister, and no matter how annoying he was to you, he happened to be one of the few people who were truly there for you when you needed them.

“Mhm, she even called me and told me she really wants to see me.” You smile when you remember the phone call. She was sweet enough to ask for your number when you bumped into her three months ago, and now that you look back at it—it was definitely to invite you to her wedding. You let Kazutora walk inside your place and the man makes himself comfortable on your couch.

“Good. You do need to get out of the house, it’s starting to become annoying,” he says with a light tone, and he sees you roll your eyes before you take a seat next to him.

“Sure, I do need to socialize a little.”

“Not a little, a lot.”

“Shut up, I get it.” You smack Kazutora’s arm and he laughs before grabbing the remote control. He chooses a random show on Netflix before grabbing his phone to order takeout. You can’t even argue with him or tell him you had some left-over food from yesterday because he wouldn’t listen to you anyway.

Kazutora was right. You rarely ever went out unless you were obligated or the man dragged you to an event. It felt as though you dreaded the thought of going out and having to meet people. But attending Emma’s wedding didn’t sound like a bad idea. As long as the people there were as sweet as her.

Which made you realize another thing.

“It’s crazy how we both knew Emma, but we didn’t become friends through her.” You say outloud and your friend hums. You two became friends because you happened to be hanging out near a cat café. You both happened to be rescuing the same kitten, and decided that it was the start of your very long friendship.

“True, which also means that you’ve never met one of my closest friends and Emma’s brother.” You tilt your head in confusion.

“Who?”

“Mikey.” You’ve never heard of that name in your life. Then again, you’ve never been to Emma’s house or were that close to her in the first place. All you knew was that she had a massive crush on this Draken dude who you saw recently and that was that. Anything about her family was simply none of your business.

“Yeah, I don’t know him.” You simply shrug.

“He’s a pretty famous racer actually,” oh? That was a first. “But he likes to keep his personal life mostly private. Last time, he came to my place wearing a black hoodie and black sweatpants—I thought I was getting robbed.”

You snort at the thought of your friend being absolutely terrified from his own close friend. But this made you a little curious about this Mikey. If he was as famous as Kazutora claims, why have you never seen him on TV before?

“You’re such a scaredy cat. “ You tease your friend, nudging him with your elbow.

“Yeah, yeah. Says the same person who cried when she found me on her couch after opening the door for me at night.”

“I forgot!”

“Say that to the person who will murder you in your sleep.”

Emma’s wedding was as intimate as it could be. You weren’t complaining, you hated big weddings where people didn’t even know each other. And right off the bat, you could tell that the people invited to the couple’s wedding were loved ones and have seen them grow up together.

You don’t feel out of place, but you are still a little closed off as Kazutora marches towards his group of friends. You refused to go with him mainly because it would be so awkward and you wanted to give your friend some space to hang out with his own group of friends. And so you stand next to the drinks, pour yourself some water and hold onto your cup while looking around the place.

It was small, but not too small. You take notice of the flowers hanging by the ceiling and the cake sitting in the corner. There’s soft music playing in the background and despite the number of people present, it is not loud enough to annoy you. Perhaps if you were to get married one day, you wanted a ceremony just like this.

You’re brought out of your thoughts when you feel Kazutora’s hand around your wrist and you send him a look that he knows a little too well.

Don’t you dare-

“Come! They wanna meet you.” He’s grinning from ear to ear, and you hear his friends laugh at the contrast in your expressions. While Kazutora is so excited to introduce you to his friends, you look as though you don’t even want to be here.

“There she is! Give her some time and she will warm up to you guys,” you give a tight lipped smile and you can feel your cheeks warming up at the attention. You aren’t exactly awkward with people, but being introduced like this wasn’t a situation you would ever put yourself into.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Mitsuya.” A man with lavender hair extends his hand out and the smile on his face helps you relax a little. You shake hands with him and introduce yourself back, and suddenly everyone was telling you who they were.

Beside Baji (whom you’ve already seen in pictures before), everyone else is a new face. There was a set of twins, Souya and Nahoya. Pah-chin and Peh-yan, and then there was Hakkai and Chifuyu. They were all nice and welcoming, didn’t make you feel awkward at all. But you notice how Chifuyu’s stare lingers on you for a bit longer than the rest, and you don’t shy away from asking him if there was something he needed.

“Is there anything you need or?”

“Oh no,” Chifuyu starts and shakes his head. His cheeks are flushed that you caught him staring at you so intensely, but he continues nonetheless. “You just look familiar, that’s all.”

Familiar? It wasn’t exactly impossible, but you were still sure that you’ve never met Chifuyu before.

“Maybe we met outside or something, or maybe Kazutora showed you a pic?” You ask the male, and he quickly darts his eyes towards Kazutora.

“Actually, yeah. I think that’s where I saw you.” He lets go of the conversation pretty quickly after this, leaving you standing confused next to your friend. You don’t really question it, perhaps he did believe you and it was all in his head. But it was still a weird interaction altogether.

You are quickly introduced to a new person, and your interaction with him isn’t any less weird than the previous one. Takemichi stares at you with wide eyes and parted lips, and you see Chifuyu pinch his side which makes you furrow your eyebrows. What the fuck was going on here?

“Are you okay—“

“You just look very familiar.” Again? You almost roll your eyes in annoyance. If they were playing games with you, this surely wasn’t a fun one. But you decide to give a proper answer to this observation and shake your head.

“It’s probably all in your head, I’m sorry. I have never seen you in my life.”

Despite how warm and gentle you look, you are strong minded and don’t shy away from situations like these. Takemichi finds himself smiling at the thought.

I can see why her and Mikey are perfect for each other.

Takemichi, just like Chifuyu, lets go of the conversation very easily and you find yourself even more annoyed than before. If one more person tells you that you look familiar, you might just tell them to fuck off. But you’re distracted by Kazutora dragging you to take a seat, indicating that the ceremony was about to start.

You watch as the best men step out and stand next to the groom who looks as though he is about to burst into tears at any moment. It is a sweet thing to witness in real time, the same man you remember meeting three months ago holding a bag of groceries while Emma was holding nothing but her purse. He was truly head over heels, and to be able to witness him devote himself and promise to love and cherish her, to be there for her and hold her when things get tough felt like witnessing a love story straight from the books.

The after-party starts shortly after, and you take notice of how the quiet and intimate vibes remain present throughout the whole night. You are sat at a table all alone, Kazutora had only left your side a few moments prior to grab food for you both and so you decide to just scroll on your phone for a bit. But you are quickly robbed of your alone time when your friend comes back and it seems as though he’s dragging someone with him.

“(Name), this is Mikey. Mikey, this is (name). He’s the friend that I told you about yesterday.” Mikey is anything but how you imagined him to be. Cocky, arrogant, maybe a little self-centered since that’s how everyone who rose to fame behaved even around their friends. But he is… closed off. He can hold eye contact, but you take notice of the small blush painting the apples of his cheeks at having to be introduced like this.

You two seemed to have that in common.

You give a small smile in response and extend your hand, Mikey sees it and mirrors your actions. You don’t think much of it, it’s a hand shake after all—but the moment the palm of your head meets his, you feel electricity shock through your body and you both pull away with a slight hiss.

“Shit-“

“Ouch.”

You’re both holding your hands back, but then you look at him and he feels different. For some odd reason, this young man you had just been introduced to looks at you as though he’s been looking for you for a long time. Your heart skips a beat. His eyes are intense, and he doesn’t seem to pull his eyes away from you until you dart them back towards Kazutora with red cheeks.

Your friend watches the scene unfold before him with raised eyebrows and a small smile. He had hopes that two of his closest friends would get along, and it seemed to be going just fine.

“Wow, am I interrupting something?” The playful tone to his voice seems to make the heat travel all over your body, and both you and Mikey smack him at his comment.

“Don’t be such a dickhead.” You look adorable when you try to be threatening, Mikey thinks. But he also thinks that it must be you.

The girl Takemichi told him about a few days earlier, it has to be you. He doesn’t know how or why, but the hand shake made him feel different about you. It was cheesy to be thinking this way, Mikey would’ve probably teased anyone else if they had told him this. But you were staring at him with pretty eyes and pink cheeks, even your stare was a shy one up until you looked at Kazutora.

You bicker with Kazutora for a few more moments until Mikey sees him lift up his hands in defeat, a triumphant smile on his lips. You roll your eyes at this.

“Fine, I’ll leave you two alone if that’s what you really want.” This little-

“That’s not what I said!” Your face is as red as a tomato, watching Kazutora walk away to chit-chat with some of his friends. Mikey finds himself snickering a little at this.

“Laughing at my misery?” You tell the man with a small grumble and he shrugs his shoulders before pulling out a chair.

“It was entertaining—can I?” You nod in response and Mikey takes a seat next to you. Your body immediately relaxes around him, and given that you were the only two people sitting at this table, you don’t find yourself feeling awkward as you strike a conversation with the man.

“So, you like bikes?” The question is genuine, but the way you phrase it has Mikey throwing his head back with a small laugh.

“I do, how were you able to tell?” He props his elbow on the table before resting his chin on his hand. He is grinning, and the way he’s staring at you makes your stomach flutter.

“A little birdie told me you’re a pretty famous racer,” You grin in return and mirror his actions, resting your chin on the palm of your hand. Mikey takes notice of what you are trying to do and lets out another laugh.

“I am, and yes I do love bikes.”

“I know, Mikey.” You chuckle at his sincerity and you see him shrug his shoulders.

“Hey, I’m an honest man. I wanted to make sure you knew I wasn’t lying.”

“Honestly, you look like a terrible liar.” You giggle a little when he lets out a gasp, feigning being offended.

“I am an amazing liar!”

“Oh really?”

“Yeah! For example, me being an amazing liar is a lie in itself,” Mikey finds himself grinning from ear to ear when his little joke makes you laugh really hard. He truly hopes that you were her, otherwise he would be pretty bummed.

“Alright comedian, I’m getting a little hungry. Wanna grab some food?” Manjiro doesn’t say no, and so you stand up and head towards the display of various types of snacks and food to fill your plate.

The night seemed to be going pretty well.

You spend the rest of the night talking to Mikey as though you’ve known each other for years. He lets you talk with Emma and Draken to congratulate them, and you don’t notice the smile that’s on her face when she sees you walk away with her brother. In fact, you fail to notice the various pairs of eyes lingering on you both as you sit down at the very corner, seemingly thinking that you are away from prying eyes, but you were obviously wrong. You and Manjiro looked like you were on a date.

The after-party does eventually come to an end. Kazutora tells you to get ready and you put on the coat you brought with you in case it got cold at night (which it did). Mikey walks you out of the venue, but before you can follow Kazutora to his car, he stops you with a hand around your wrist.

“Hey wait,”

“Yeah?” A part of you was hoping that the conversation was going that way, you had a lot of fun with Mikey during the few hours you hung out with him and you were hoping that he would do something about it.

“I had a lot of fun, and it wasn’t even my own wedding,” he starts with a chuckle. “And I was wondering if we could hang out again.” Oh, he was bold. You liked that.

You smile at this, and you remove your wrist from his grasp before wrapping it around his hand, grabbing it firmly.

“I would love to, Mikey.” You exchange phone numbers and you walk towards Kazutora’s car. You wave at Mikey, you see him mouth ‘I’ll text you later’ and it makes you blush. You get inside the car, and Kazutora immediately starts the car.

He notices how quiet you are, but you don’t look upset. You’re busy staring at your phone, almost like you were waiting for a text and then your phone pings. Your eyes light up when you see the notification, and you quickly type something on your phone.

Mikey<3

--Kazutora’s a pretty reckless driver. Think you gonna get there safely?

You stifle a giggle before sending a reply.

--He’s a pretty good driver actually, have some faith in him.

Kazutora doesn’t take a look at your phone, but from the way you are beaming at your phone, he knows who you were talking to.

“You two are getting along pretty well,” you don’t raise your head to look at him, only nod in response.

“Mhm, he’s really cute,” you say quietly and your friend smiles to himself. He hasn’t seen you this excited about someone in quite some time, and for it to be his close friend out of everyone warms up his heart.

You couldn’t wait to see Mikey again.

Mikey has a very busy schedule, you learn that from the past three weeks of texting him. You tried to make plans four times, and they were all dismissed by his team because he had something to do. You weren’t even upset about it, you had been having video and phone calls with him the entire time, but he still apologizes during every call and promises to make it up to you somehow.

Which brings you to where you are right now—standing near your apartment building waiting for him to pick you up. You two had agreed to go back to his place to hang out, since his race was coming up soon, the paparazzi were on his ass and he didn’t want that to ruin his fun time with you.

You see a black, fancy car pull up next to you and your eyes are wide as you stare at it. Mikey rolls down the window and flashes you a toothy grin, before yelling out.

“You’re gonna keep standing there?” You are quick to get inside the car, and you take notice of how clean it is.

“I didn’t think you were gonna pick me up in such a fancy car,” you admit, and Manjiro chuckles at your honesty.

“Were you expecting a bike?”

“Yeah.” You smile when you see him laugh a little harder. “What?”

“You’re cute, that’s all,” you blush at his remark and cough a little, suddenly finding the ceiling of his car very interesting.

“Getting shy?”

“Focus on driving,” you say playfully and he gets stubborn, refusing to listen to you.

“Ooh, did my talk of Kazutora being a reckless driver get to your head?” He rests his head on the steering wheel, and you almost panic when you see that he’s not paying attention.

“Mikey—really, focus!”

You arrive to his place in less than twenty minutes, and you hope your face does not betray you and show him how absolutely mesmerized you are by the size of the building. You have to hurt your neck in order to see the top, and he tells you that he lives on the 20th floor, since he loves watching the city from above. You walk inside, get in the elevator and Manjiro notices the way you’re holding your purse tightly.

His hand reaches out towards you and wraps around your wrist, you look at him in surprise but immediately relax when you see the smile on his face.

“Relax, yeah?” His voice is barely above a whisper. Butterflies dance in your stomach at the way he’s addressing you—so full of love and care. You look away from him when you feel your face getting hot.

Luckily, Manjiro doesn’t notice as the elevator finally comes to a halt, indicating that you finally arrived at the 20th floor. The doors open and you are greeted with a long, illuminated hallway with grey carpets on the floor and big windows on the side. Mikey is the first one to step out and you follow suit, watching as he starts to look for his keys in his pockets.

You arrive at a door with big, bold numbers on it and you wait behind Mikey as he unlocks it before stepping inside.

“Come in, make yourself comfortable.”

Mikey’s place is as fancy as the building, but there’s a hint of domesticity to it and it warms up your heart. There are framed pictures everywhere, trophies sitting above the bookshelf and plants in each corner of the humongous living room. The kitchen is attached to the living space, and you’re surprised when you see that the oven was turned on.

“Were you cooking?”

“Yeah, I’m actually lucky cause if we had been late, our dinner could’ve been burned.” He’s grinning from ear to ear, while you stare at him mortified. He could’ve started a fire and he’s laughing about it?

“You know that’s super dangerous, Mikey.”

“I was just excited to come pick you up,” he pouts at you, and you already have this show memorized. Every time he would do something reckless and he tells you over a video call, he would pout when you scold him in hopes of getting out of it.

“Please,” you roll your eyes, bending down to take off your shoes before putting on the slippers he had laid out for you. While dinner was still cooking, Mikey decides to give you a little tour of his apartment.

You learn that there is he makes good use of the space he has, and he tells you it’s all thanks to his sister Emma for giving him ideas. He has an office where he takes calls, a bedroom that looks rather neat compared to when you saw it over the video call a few days ago and a very pretty bathroom that is black themed. You think it’s the prettiest part of his house.

“Out of everything, you pick the bathroom?” He is amused, watching as you grab the bottles of shampoo and conditioner with a loud gasp, the fascination in your eyes warms up his chest. He truly feels like pulling you in his arms.

“Those are so cool! Have you ever broken one of these?” Manjiro raises an eyebrow at this.

“Why?”

“I just wanna know if you’re clumsy,” you give him an innocent grin, and he pouts his lips at your comment.

“I am not clumsy.”

“Hm, then I guess Kazutora lied to me.” This makes his ears perk up.

“Kazutora told you about me?” You chuckle at his eagerness but nod anyway.

“He told me you were reckless and a bit childish,” you tilt your head to the side. “Stubborn, indecisive, impulsive, idiotic-“

“Did he say anything that’s actually good,” you can sense the annoyance in his voice and chuckle before reaching out to hold one of his hands.

“He told me you were loyal, very kind and loving. You care a lot about your family and friends, and you never let fame get to your head,” your voice is soft as you tell him all the things Kazutora told you, and the longer you hold his hand, the louder your heartbeat is in your ears.

It feels strange, almost familiar to be this close with him even through just hand holding. And when you look up from where you were holding his hand, your breath hitches at the way he is staring at you. Intense, passionate—you can’t exactly decide how Mikey’s eyes feel, but you do know that they make you nervous. You bite your bottom lips out of nervousness, but you don’t let go of his hand. Instead, your thumb caresses the back of his hand and traces soft circles there.

“And what do you think?” Mikey finally breaks the silence, eyes darting all over your face before settling on your lips.

“I think,” you tighten your hold around his hand, before pulling him towards you in one sudden movement. “I think you should kiss me.”

Manjiro didn’t need to be told twice. His hands gripped your hips as he pinned you against his sink, lips pressed against yours in what started out as a soft, innocent kiss. But the longer your lips moved against one another, the harder it was to keep it tame. You only pull away when you’re out of breath and panting, hands gripping the fabric of shirt to pull him impossibly closer to you. He rests his forehead against yours, teeth nipping at your bottom lips before pulling you into another kiss. You gasp when you feel his lips kiss down, nipping at your jaw.

“Mikey—the food.” You pant out.

“Oh shit-“ There goes your dinner.

Whatever Mikey cooked that night wasn’t going to be served. You laugh a little at how pouty and sad he is at the incident, but you reassure him that you appreciate his effort until the very end, and even if it was ruined.

You end up ordering food for the night, and you find out that Mikey gets really excited when the food has little decorations on top. He orders a hamburger and you decide to go for a pizza, and the sheer amount of happiness on his face when he finds a little flag on top of the bun makes you coo at him.

There is a show playing while you eat, but neither of you focus on what was happening as you devour your food and talk about everything and nothing. You learn many things about Mikey, and so does he. And it seems as though the kiss you shared back in the bathroom is long forgotten, almost as though it never happened. But you do notice that Mikey is holding back on the stuff he is telling you.

“Is there anything you want to tell me?” You’re not necessarily being confrontational, but you see him shift a little. So you noticed.

He doesn’t say anything as he removes the fry from his mouth and grabs some water, and your heart sinks a little. When did it get so serious?

“Mikey?”

“Can I be honest about something?” Oh no. Whenever a conversation started like this, you knew it wasn’t going to end well.

“Sure.” He was gonna tell you that he didn’t enjoy the kiss—or worse, did your breath smell? You already felt repulsed by yourself and he hadn’t even said a single thing. You were getting ready for rejection, for the night to end terribly and for him to send you back home and never talk to you again. You knew it was too good to be true.

“This might sound a little crazy, but we were lovers in the past.” Huh? You didn’t know what to say—this sounded ridiculous, but maybe he meant when you were kids? On the playground?

“You mean as kids or?”

“No, I mean in a different timeline, we are—well, were lovers.” The use of the past tense when referring to his relationship with you has a bitter aftertaste to it. He wasn’t even sure what he was doing right now, you might not even be her. But he remembers his conversation with Takemichi after Emma’s wedding, how his friend confirmed to him that yes, it was you.

“Mikey, go for it.” Takemichi was grinning from ear to ear. It seemed as though you were actually alive and he did manage to save everyone this time. Even you.

“Are you sure-“

“Yes,” Chifuyu interrupts with his hands in his pockets and a smile on his face. “I’m certain that it’s her.”

This was the confirmation Mikey needed, but he was still scared. What if you reject him in this timeline? What if you both don’t fall in love and things don’t work out? This probably scared him more than having to tell you about the whole time leap thing.

“What do you mean?” You don’t tell him that he sounds ridiculous, nor do you laugh at the fact that he just told you that you were both lovers at one point.

“Takemichi, and my brother—but it doesn’t matter,” Mikey shakes his head. “Takemichi was able to go back in time at one point in his life. He’s what people might call a time leaper. He went through hell and beyond to be able to save his girlfriend from dying, but then eventually he got involved with me and that’s how we became friends.” You see him pause to smile to himself, and you think to yourself that there is no way someone can make up a story this detailed without stuttering or missing a beat.

“Every time he tried to fix something in the past, it would lead to a horrible outcome in the future. And he remembers that—well, we were together,” he frowns before continuing. “No matter the horrible outcome, we were never separated until well, now.”

What Mikey is saying right now should make you look at him like he’s crazy, what he’s implying and the events he’s describing sound straight out of a book. And yet you still believe every word he says. You aren’t sure what part of his speech convinced you that this was real, you just believe him.

“It makes sense. The handshake made me feel some kind of way, I thought I was crazy for looking too deeply into it—but then I felt you and I don’t know, I think even hanging out as friends would do us great, yeah?” You were going on such a ramble, that you fail to notice that Mikey is a little taken aback by your understanding of the whole situation. He’s relieved that you don’t think he is crazy, but when he feels the blush crawl up his neck, he looks away from you with a loud huff.

“What is wrong with you?” You blink at him.

“Hm?”

“You’re being awfully understanding, I wasn’t expecting it.” You find yourself cooing at him, and your hand reaches towards his face to pinch his cheek playfully.

“Oh Mikey, are you shy?” You regret your words as soon as they come out. You feel his hand grab your wrist before pulling you on top of him on the couch, making you straddle him. He smirks at your wide eyed look and his hands grip your hips just like how he did in the bathroom.

“Cat got your tongue?” Yes, it totally did. This side of Mikey was so unexpected but you weren’t complaining. But you did feel as though he was reminding you that no matter how flustered he could get, he always had more effect on you than you could ever imagine.

You get over the situation on the couch rather quickly, and an hour later you decide that it’s finally time to head back home. Mikey is whiny about it, but he decides to drive you back to your place and completely forgets why he was upset in the first place. His behavior resembled one of a very needy puppy.

He parks next to your apartment building, and he immediately starts sighing out dramatically.

“Mikey-“

“I cannot believe I have just been reunited with my past lover, and yet she still asks to go back to her place and urgently!” He yells out the last part, the back of his hand pressed against his forehead. “I am heartbroken.”

“I promise to text you, yeah?” You lean towards him and press a kiss to his cheek, to which he grins at.

“And you have to go on a date with me again very soon.”

“Okay, deal.” You quickly agree, and the smile beaming on his face makes you think that if he was always going to be this happy, then you would go on plenty of dates with him.

“Goodnight Mikey,”

“Manjiro.” Your hand rests at the door, and you turn around to face him.

“Yeah?”

“Call me Manjiro, I like it better.”

You smile at this and nod his way. “Goodnight Manjiro.” It sounds so sweet when it comes out of your mouth, and when you lean in to give him a kiss on the cheek, he grabs your face and pulls you into a deep kiss.

He is such a passionate kisser, a little aggressive since he keeps nipping and biting at your bottom lip and gripping the back of your head—but you don’t mind. You are dizzy when he pulls away, and he finally unlocks the door for you with a grin on his face.

“Goodnight, (Name).”

Over the next month and a half, not once do you question your relationship with Mikey. It’s casual, you tell yourself. It has to be. Sure, you have shared a few passionate, and very intimate kisses but it was all casual and friendly. At least that’s what you tell yourself.

Mikey refuses to discuss whatever is going on between you two either, chooses to brush it to the side because as much as his brain was telling him this was going well, his heart was screaming at him not to get attached. Which was too late.

The conversations you both had, the kisses you shared—hell, you even understood the whole time leap thing and told him that when he first shook hands with you, he felt familiar. But what if Mikey fucks up again? What if he messes up like he did in the previous times, so badly to the point where even Takemichi couldn’t fix it? The thoughts in his head were getting louder and more suffocating by the minute, and he was afraid that he would do it again—push you away, or worse; lose you.

You notice that his text messages become shorter and less excited than when you both started talking, it confuses you at first—you brush off the idea of him losing interest in you because there was no way. You both got along so well, did he really get cold feet so suddenly?

It was even more frustrating to try to get him to talk about it—every time you would try to bring it up, he would shut down your attempt and give a lame excuse such as “oh, I’m just tired” or “I didn’t get enough sleep”. You were starting to get a little fed up.

You text Kazutora to come over, and you’re not even surprised when you hear a knock at your door not even twenty minutes later. He was always quick with these.

“What do you want this time, more money? My soul?” Kazutora says as he walks in, but the humorous mood he was trying to set immediately fades when he notices your distressed state.

“Wow, are you okay?” His eyebrows are pinched in concern and you shake your head.

“No, no—I think Mikey doesn’t like me.”

“Huh? What do you mean?” This wasn’t what Kazutora heard from Mikey himself, and he realizes almost immediately that things weren’t being communicated properly between you two.

“He’s been acting distant and cold—and I think I fucked up, maybe I shouldn’t have kissed him the first time we hung out-“

“You kissed him the first time you hung out?” Your friend was impressed, but he winces when you smack his shoulder. “Shit sorry—hey listen, I’m very sure he likes you.”

“How can you be so sure? I really don’t know what he’s thinking and it’s killing me.” You are frustrated, and it’s very understandable. But Kazutora has to explain to you how Mikey was as a person.

“It’s Mikey, he’s incredibly scared of his feelings.” He sits you down on your couch and you raise an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue. “It’s always been like this. His feelings are intense, and he is scared that it might push people away which is why he’s had the same group of friends for years--so my theory is, he really likes you. But he is scared that you do not feel the same, or worse and impossible; don’t feel the same way.”

You aren’t surprised that your friend knows this much about Mikey, but you still find it endearing that he was willing to explain to you in detail how his friend dealt with his feelings. You find yourself nodding at his words before resting your head on the couch.

“How do I make him less scared though?”

“What do you mean?”

“I obviously like him back,” you stare at your friend. “It doesn’t take a genius to figure it out. But how do I tell him? How do I let him know that I want him? I can’t have him question that, I need him to be convinced that I feel the same for him, that it doesn’t scare me.”

Kazutora smiles a little at your eagerness. You and Mikey were truly the perfect match. Confident, unwavering and strong with a pinch of gentleness and care for your loved ones. He pats your head affectionately.

“Don’t worry, I got the perfect plan.”

You should’ve known his plan would include some of Mikey’s closest friends. You are a blushing mess as you stand in the middle of Mitsuya’s office in an awkward position. The lavender head is staring you down so intensely, you can’t even hold eye contact with him.

“Yeah, lucky her I have one ready.” Have what? You look at Kazutora who only grins at you before shrugging his shoulders.

Mitsuya then comes out and is holding what appears to be a black outfit. He hands it to you and sits back down on his chair before nodding at you to open it. You do as you are told and unfold the piece of clothing in your hands—a dress? There was pretty writing in gold, it said TOMAN on the back and Mikey written in gold right above the heart area.

“Is this…?”

“Mhm, Mikey’s old uniform when we were back in Toman.” Mitsuya says before fixing his glasses. “I tried to experiment with it a couple of times, and this is the last thing I was able to make. It should fit you as an oversized shirt.”

You hold the piece of clothing in your hand and nod at him, before darting your eyes towards your friend.

“What do I do with this?”

“His race is tomorrow. You already have a VIP pass to the front row, right?” You nod in response. “Cool, wear that and stand there. I’m very sure he will be very excited.”

It sounded like a reckless plan—crazy, even. But you were down for it as long as Manjiro knew that you felt the same, and that you were willing to try again with him in this timeline. You were ready to be lovers, it’s what fate decided for you both. And although it doesn’t always work out, during the two months of having known Mikey, you’ve come to accept the fact that you were his and he was yours.

No matter the circumstances, you always found your way back in each other’s lives.

Mikey loved his job more than anything in the world. He loved the adrenaline that comes with it, the confidence boost that he gets from hearing people—fans, and mostly his friends and family cheer for him, was immeasurable. He was the center of attention, and such a competitive person that all eyes fell on him the moment he gets on his bike. Like a kid being handed candy, Mikey finds pure joy in holding trophies at the end of every race, and some might think he is cocky for saying this—but he knew that today’s victory was going to be his.

He is getting ready to get on his bike, a heavy helmet in one hand and a bottle of water in the other. He knows his manager is saying something, but he can’t really get himself to care enough to listen, mind thinking of far more important things.

He wonders how you are doing, after all it’s been a while since he last saw you and it makes him internally cringe. Avoidance was one of his worst traits, coming second to pushing people away from him. He doesn’t know what he should do about the whole situation, he is far too deep in it to be able to get out without you getting mad at him or worse—choosing not to be with him. But Manjiro is ready for whatever is thrown his way, he will fight back and try to win you ever. Even if his own fears can easily get the best of him at the worst of times.

The race starts, and Manjiro doesn’t stare at the crowd cheering for him. He knows it’s the usual—His siblings, grandpa and all of his friends cheering the name “Mikey!” over and over again. It wasn’t until the race ends and Mikey wins the first place that he decides to take off his helmet and flash the crowd his usual, toothy grin. It’s contagious, and he notices how his friends keep pointing down for him to notice something in the crowd—or rather, someone.

There you were, standing so close to him yet so far away—how did he not notice you from the very beginning? You looked adorable, and you were wearing something that looked way too familiar. The closer he got to you, the sooner he was able to confirm that it was his old Toman uniform. And you were wearing it as an oversized shirt, with what he hoped were shorts underneath.

He doesn’t miss the way his siblings and friends were snickering to themselves at his speechless state, but he chooses that he will throw a tantrum over that later. He has more important things to focus on—such as asking you what you were doing here, how did you get that? Does it mean that you weren’t mad at him?

Mikey knew he should be careful with the paparazzi, after all they were the type to make a huge deal out of anything—but he has never had any dating rumor. In fact, he would always shut down the idea and say that dating wasn’t for him. But now that you were standing in the crowd, looking especially adorable in his old uniform, he couldn’t really decide whether to protect you from the nasty fans or to hold you in his arms and show the public that his heart belonged to one person only.

He decides to be careful for the sake of your safety—flashes you a confident smile that has your face changing into a bright red color before giving him a curt nod which he returns. You could hear Kazutora and Baji fake gagging in the back at the sight of you two communicating silently, but you didn’t care anymore. Not when Mikey’s eyes spoke louder than any cheering you heard today.

You are patiently waiting for him next to his changing room, it’s where Emma told you to go. You appreciated that neither she, Izana nor Shinichiro teased you about being romantically involved with their brother. Though you did notice the smile that painted the older brother’s face at your nervousness, so he decides to speak up.

“I’m glad you found each other again.” So that’s what Mikey meant when he said that his brother was a time leaper too. Shinichiro knew about you two, but he trusted Takemichi to do the job of telling Manjiro about you.

You fiddle with your thumbs, leaning against the wall. You don’t have time to get lost in your thoughts before you see Mikey storming down the hallway and towards you, ridding himself of his jacket and all the equipment that was strapped onto him as a form of protection.

“Sir—“ His manager tries to get his attention, but Mikey raises a single hand to dismiss his efforts.

“Whatever it is, cancel it or tell them to wait. I have far more important things to do.” You flush at his words, and you’re about to say something yourself when Manjiro grabs your hand and opens the door to his changing room. He turns out and looks at his manager once again.

“No one’s allowed near my room for a while, okay?” His manager raises a questioning eyebrow.

“But sir, why-“

“It doesn’t take a genius to know why.” Mikey almost gives the man a deadpan look, and the manager seems to understand almost immediately and flushes before bowing his head and walking away in a hurry.

You are amused at how eager Mikey is about the whole situation, but you can’t deny that you feel nervous about being alone with him in his changing room. It’s fancy and private, exactly what you imagine Mikey to have since it’s not any different from his house.

Once the door is closed and locked, Mikey turns around to face you and he lets out a fascinated “wow”, eyes darting over the newest version of his old uniform.

“You like it?” Your voice is shy, and you feel small under his gaze as he takes a step closer to you. His hand reaches to grab the hem of your shirt and you see how his thumb grazes over the fabric. His eyes travel all the way up to your face before letting out a hum.

“Ask me again if I like it,” Manjiro’s voice is barely above a whisper, you feel his other hand grab your jaw.

“Do you like it?” You can’t finish the sentence properly before he’s yanking you towards him by your shirt, the hand that was holding the hem of your shirt resting on the small of your back. His nose brushes against yours, and his eyes dart over your face in search for any sign of hesitance or wanting him to pull away.

Instead, you’re a blushing mess. But there’s a proud grin on your face, and you’re biting your bottom lip in hopes of controlling it—Mikey thinks you look too pretty up close.

“I love it, a lot.” He brushes his lips against yours, pulls back when he feels you trying to kiss him properly and when you whine, he lets out a small chuckle.

“What? You wanna kiss me?” You don’t give him a verbal response, but you catch him off guard and capture his lips in a deep kiss. You can tell he is taken aback, but the hand that was resting on your back rests on your face and you almost feel yourself melting from him holding your face with both hands. The kiss is passionate and deep, and you feel yourself being backed up against the wall. You gasp when you feel him pin you there, and he takes the opportunity to slip his tongue inside your mouth. His hands move down from your face to grip your hips, and when he pulls away, you’re a panting mess.

He rests his forehead against yours, taking in how your face is flushed and your eyes have a thin layer of lust coating them. He hums, pressing a gentle kiss to your cheek before biting the skin there.

“I need to hear it.” And somehow, you don’t even have to ask him to know what he means.

“I’m yours, I wanna be yours.” He bites at your jaw, then asks you to say it again.

“Yours-“

“Fuck yeah, mine.” He gently nips at your neck, and you can’t think properly to tell him not to leave any love bites there. Again, you are reminded by how strong he is when he lifts you up and wraps your legs around his waist, walking towards the couch. He lays you down there, and when you see him get down on his knees, you start panicking.

“Manjiro, you don’t have to-“ he grabs your hand and places it on his crotch, and your lips part in shock when you feel the bulge in his pants. Already? Just from making out? Your face was burning enough.

“Feel that? Yeah, I have to.” You let him take off your shoes for you, and let out a surprised squeal when he rids you of your shorts and panties in one go. You hear him groan at the sight, shamelessly spreading your legs wider for him before pressing a kiss to the back of your thigh.

“Can smell you from here, sweet thing.” His voice is raspy, and you only nod in response while licking your lips. Your hands grab at the hem of your shirt and you’re ready to pull it over your head before Mikey stops you.

“Keep it. Wanna fuck you in it.” You feel dizzy at his words. You’ve always known that Mikey was confident but this was a whole new person, not that you were complaining.

Manjiro presses a few loving kisses on your inner thighs before getting to your pussy where he stares at it for a few moments. You don’t have to feel self-conscious, he doesn’t let you as he presses his nose against the patch of pubes sitting right above where you wanted him the most. He parts your pussy lips with his fingers, and swipes his tongue over your folds, smiling when you give that adorable gasp over the initial contact. His thumb pulls the hood of your clit, before pressing his tongue against it. And when he sees the way you squirm and try to move away, he knows he’s doing a good job. His tongue assaults your clit over and over again—kissing, sucking and humming against the sensitive bud as his middle and ring finger push past your folds. You are far too gone to react properly to the intrusion, sitting up with a flushed face and uncontrollable moans leaving your lips.

Your stomach twitches and relaxes a couple of times, and Mikey can tell you are trying not to cum fast. So he curls his fingers up, grazing that one spot that has you covering your mouth and throwing your head back. He keeps finger fucking you at the same angle and pace, grinning to himself when your breathing stutters and you cum around his fingers, gushing so sweetly with the prettiest moans leaving your lips.

Mikey is back on his feet almost immediately, the fucked out look on your face making him groan to himself as he pulls his pants down enough to free his cock from its confines. It’s pretty, has a slight curve to it and the tip is flushed red. Your mouth waters at the sight, hands squeezing your boobs while staring up at him, begging him to put it in your mouth.

“Not today, baby,” he reaches for a random drawer next to him and pulls out a condom. You don’t have to question him before he’s wrapping it around his cock. “Today is all about you.”

It was pretty ironic considering the pathetic moan he lots out the moment he pushes himself inside you. Your pussy welcomes him with so much ease, and you wrap your legs around him to pull him impossibly closer to you. Your arms wrap around his neck, pulling him down for a kiss when he starts to move his hips against yours.

“Oh fuck baby, you feel good.” Manjiro says against your lips and you can only moan in response, the angle at which he is fucking you knocking the wind out of your chest. You are already feeling dizzy enough from the sheer force of his thrusts, but when you pull your legs up on his shoulders, Mikey gives you a look that could only mean trouble.

You gasp in surprise when he lifts up your hips, pushing your upper body deeper into the couch and he starts fucking you hard. His hips are driving into yours so harshly that you feel the couch move with every movement and the sounds—fuck, you just hope that the room is soundproof because the cries you are letting out along with Mikey’s occasional groans of “fuck yeah” “that’s it, take it.” Are straight up pornographic.

Your hands try to cling onto his shoulders, but settle on his muscular arms. You feel the muscle flex under your fingers, and you feel a little embarrassed that feeling his strength was what tipped you over the edge. You cum around him with a loud yelp, body stuttering and shuddering against his. You try to cling onto him for support, throwing your head back when you feel him press his thumb against your clit. You whine in overstimulation.

“I can’t—fuck, I can’t!”

“Oh yes you can, come on baby, make me proud.” Your eyes roll to the back of his head at the overwhelming sensation of his cock bullying its way inside along with his thumb over your clit. You think it’s humanly impossible to cum again in such a short amount of time, but you do it. Mikey pulls it out of you and this time, he collapses on top of you as you both reach your orgasms at the same time.

You think it’s magical, your fingers resting at the back of his head to brush the few hairs there. You feel him pant against your skin and hum, pressing a few kisses there.

“Need to clean you up,” you giggle at how sleepy he sounds but nod anyway.

“Yes, you do.”

“Can I just do it with my mouth?” You gasp in terror, trying to push his heavy body off of you.

“No! I’m too sensitive.” You feel him pout against your skin, but he gets off of you and traces his hands over your lower body.

“I like you like this, you’re so pretty.” Mikey reaches his hand up and pinches one of your nipples, making you gasp and smack his hand.

“Manjiro, keep your hands to yourself.” You see his eye twitch at your comment, and suddenly he flips you on all fours and smacks your ass harshly.

“Face down, I need to taste you again.”

2023 ; all works belong to @ slttygeto. do not repost my works on any other platofrm.

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